Buttered pearl potatoes with fresh parsley
October 17, 2007
Filed under Asia & beyond
The first time I made buttered potatoes, my daughter Sam was about 10 months old and I was pregnant with Alex. I got the recipe from a Good Housekeeping Entertainment cookbook, the first cookbook that my husband and I bought as a newly-married couple. Sam is now 15 and Alex will turn 14 in January.
The first time I made buttered potatoes, I didn’t know where to get fresh parsley, my fresh parsley experience having been limited to small bunches that decorated restaurant food.
The first time I made buttered potatoes, I made the mistake of adding salt after the potatoes had been cooked. Not a good idea. The potatoes did not have time to absorb the salt. The skins were too salty while the centers remained bland.
That was a long time ago and I’ve learned a lot since then.
When I decided to prepare some buttered pearl potatoes last night to go with the roast pork, I only cooked about a dozen potatoes thinking that only my husband and I would eat them. Alas, I was wrong. The girls loved them. Next time, I’ll remember to prepare twice as much. 
Pearl potatoes are small potatoes that measure about an inch to an inch-and-a-half in diameter. They are also called baby potatoes. They are cooked unpeeled; the skins are very fine and soft. Besides, peel them and there’s not going to be much left of your potatoes.
To make buttered pearl potatoes with fresh parsley for four people, clean about 24 potatoes in water, scrubbing the skins with a soft, clean brush (an old toothbrush is useful) to remove any trace of soil. Place them in a pan, pour in enough water to cover, add about 2 tablespoonfuls — yes, 2 tablespoonfuls — of salt and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low, cover and cook until soft but not mushy. To test, pierce one potato with a sharp pointed knife after 10 minutes of cooking. If the knife goes through the center without resistance, it’s time to turn off the heat. If the potato splits when you pull out the knife, you’ve overcooked the potatoes and you had better serve them as mashed potatoes instead.
Once the potatoes are cooked through, drain them and place in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of butter and lots of freshly ground pepper. Toss to coat all the potatoes with butter and pepper. Cool a bit. Snip some fresh parsley and toss with the potatoes just before serving. Serve warm.
If you’re butter phobic, you can use extra virgin olive oil instead. It won’t taste the same but it’ll still be great. If you decide to substitute olive oil for the butter, squeeze a kalamansi over the potatoes before giving them a final toss.
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I prepare this for my mom. She loves this. I would sometimes use rosemary instead of parsley for a different taste.
hi, ms. connie! i adore you so much and i hope you have received my comments on your previous recipes including the first one (i.e., thriced-cooked pata tim). that was the first time i’ve discovered your website. anyway, i just want to share my own recipe of the potato marble since i just cooked this last saturday (October 13) for our dinner. i baked it instead of boiling them, so as to preserve the very taste of the potatoes. yeah, you’re right, i, too, forgot to put some salt before placing them in the oven, i just remembered it when it’s done but i put parmesan cheese instead but still, needs more salt. i also put minced garlic and it really taste very good. butter and garlic are really good combination for this recipe, and parsley too! hope, you dont mind my sharing. thanks and more power!
Oh what a nice idea! But it has to be fresh rosemary, the dried ones are too tough.
I love potatoes!!!! I will definitely try this.. Thanks Ms. Connie!
sarap nito! there’s a resto here in Kuwait that serves this on their bbq day buffet. It’s every Wednesday if am not mistaken.
Thanks, Rush. Garlic sounds good. Regarding the baking, I’m wondering if the potatoes, with skins on, can absorb salt that way.
You’re welcome, Joy.
Sam, I would have wanted to serve the buttered pearl potatoes with chicken barbecue but they chicken didn’t thaw on time. The pork loin did. LOL
what I do is slice the potatoes in two and sort of marinate them for a few minutes with this :butter or oil, crushed garlic and herbs, usually thyme,basil, rosemary and parsley
then I put it in the oven until roasted.
yum!
marinating is a great way to season the potatoes, erleen. don’t the herbs burn during roasting?
hello, ms. connie! regarding the baking that i shared with you, it’s true, it did not absorb quickly but this time, i tried to slice the top of the potato (with skin on it) and it did great! after i put the salt, i just let it stand there for a couple of minutes before i placed them into the oven. with regards to the herbs like parsley, yeah, you’re right, it kinda burned but the taste are still great! for the kids, you can also try to put lots of cheese sauce and toasted ground bacon on top instead of garlic, because my kids do loved it! so yummy! thanks again! God bless!
i’m a Filipino living in Finland and one of the first things that intrigued me was how to cook new potatoes (pearl) the Finnish way.
From the months of July till early September, new potatoes are abundant and the siikli variety has the best flavour. Finns just simply boil the new potatoes…no need to add salt to the water. After it’s boiled, butter is added and some chopped up fresh dill is tossed in. New potatoes are usually eaten with smoked salmon, bbq, or other types of fish such as pike, perch, etc (typical baltic stock).
I accidently bought new potatoes for mashing a couple of years ago (back then I didn’t know much about potatoes..but rice i do :P) and was told that it was the worst variety to mash, since the texture when milk and butter are added, is too sticky - so as per your suggestion if the potatoes are overcooked, it’s not a good idea to serve it as mash.
I’ve noticed for oven roasted potatoes…rosemunda is the best variety. I simply just slice them into wedges, dose them with olive oil, sprinkle paprikka, rosemary, thyme, freshly grounded pepper and a bit of salt and cook at 200C in the oven.
For mashed potatoes, russet and yukon gold are the best varieties. The texture is fluffy and smooth.
i’m getting a lot of different ways to cook my potatoes! thanks all! its usually garlic and butter lang for me e. now, i’m going to try it with different herbs.
Adele, in the Philippines we don’t buy potatoes based on its “kind”. We buy potatoes based on what we intend to use them for. And there are only three basic varieties — large ones for fries and salad, medium ones for all-purpose cooking (stews, mostly) and the small ones (in the photo) which Filipinos buy because they’re so cheap. I don’t think we grow the varieties you mentioned. So we just learn to make the best of what’s available and not be wasteful.
Hi Connie,
I love the kalamansi touch. I lust potatoes really but dietary restrictions limit my desire.
As always, your pic/s reflect the vibrance of your cooking.
I go hungry every time I finish reading your cooking recipes.
Regards and
Cheers!
Thanks for the recipe