You only need a little bit of butter. But you want lots of fresh herbs! Welcome back to Day 7 of the inaugural Holiday Salad Marathon, where I’m sharing 30 salads in a row through to Christmas Eve – just for something different to the usual sugar-loaded baking countdowns!! Today:

Baby Potatoes with Butter & Herbs

I realise today’s recipe isn’t technically a salad as such, with no leafy greens in sight. But I consider it a staple potato side dish and it’s especially handy during the holiday season because it doesn’t involve use of the oven (valuable real estate during feasting season!). So I decided it’s a must share!

What you need for Butter Baby Potatoes with Herbs

Here’s all you need:

Baby potatoes / new potatoes – choose small ones that are the same size if you can, so they cook through in the same time without the skins bursting. The larger the potato, the more prone they are to the skin breaking when boiled or steamed;Butter – just 2 tbsp / 30g is all you need. The idea with this recipe is that the potatoes are lightly coated with a slick of butter, as opposed to dousing. The potatoes won’t absorb any butter because we’re keeping them whole. It’s basically the polar opposite of intense buttery richness of Paris Mash, the ultimate mashed potatoes!Herbs – my favourite combination is dill (for fresh flavour), chives (for a touch of oniony freshness) and parsley (for extra subtle freshness which doesn’t add too much extra flavour).

This potato recipe isn’t supposed to be rich and super buttery. It’s supposed to be simple, with just a light coating of butter on the potatoes, so they can be served with rich mains like steak, prime rib or crackling roast pork.

How to make Baby Potatoes with Butter & Herbs

The making part is as simple as:

Boil or steam potatoes until there’s no resistance when you pierce them with a knife;Add butter, salt and pepper, toss until butter is melted and it coats the potatoes. Then add herbs just before serving – for maximum freshness impact!

The light coating of butter just adds a bit of flavour to the otherwise plain potatoes along with (of course) the hit of freshness from the herbs! Because it’s not too heavy, it’s an ideal potato side for rich mains such as:

Butter Basted SteakPrime Rib (Beef Standing Rib Roast)Crackling Pork RoastRoast Chicken

And again, because it’s not too heavy, it is also terrific to serve with seafood – any fish, prawns/shrimp, lobster, Morton Bay Bugs, Crab etc. Sensational side dish for a seafood platter, come to think of it, if you feel like splashing out! No recipe video today, because it’s such a simple recipe. But if you really want one, ask nicely in the comments below and I will make one for you! – Nagi x

More irresistible potato sides

Life of Dozer

When I told him to STAY! outside a cafe. I was so impressed he was obeying him, I snapped this photo… but then two seconds later, he breached the barrier. Naughty boy! These salads are in addition to my regular 3 new recipes a week. Because aren’t you bored of the usual tomato-cucumber-lettuce garden salad routine?? Click here to see all the Holiday Salad Marathon recipes to date, or sign up for instant updates and you’ll receive a free email alert whenever I publish a new salad! 🙂