Infused with butter and delicious garlicky, herby flavour, these Golden and Crispy Roasted Fingerling Potatoes are the potatoes of your dreams. Quick enough for a weeknight but fancy enough for company, these are the potatoes you’ll want to make again and again for your friends, your family, and yourself! With crisp, golden exteriors and soft and creamy centres, this simple recipe makes a truly crowd-pleasing side dish. The hardest part will be not eating them all right off the baking sheet before they make it to the table!
Roasted potatoes are good, no matter which type of potato you use, but GREAT roasted potatoes don’t just happen by chance. For GREAT roasted potatoes, you need a thin-skinned variety that roast quickly and develop crispy outsides in a hot oven, and a waxy variety for soft, creamy interiors. A uniform size helps, and simple prep makes things well…simpler, because roasted potatoes are not usually the main dish, which means you’ve got other things on the go. When I place all of this criteria in a potato matrix – thin skin, waxy interior, uniform size, minimal prep – I land squarely on one variety: the fingerling. Fingerlings tick all the perfect roasted potato boxes and they never disappoint. Add a few seasonings to amp up the flavour and in just 25 minutes you’ll have a delicious side dish that everyone will love!
What are Fingerling Potatoes?
Fingerling potatoes aren’t widely available in all areas, so it’s worth a quick description of this little potato. Long and narrow, this type of potato has the appearance of stubby fingers, thus the name ‘fingerling”. Look for them at the grocery store and at farmers markets from mid-summer through fall.
What you need to make Crispy Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
The ingredient list is short and sweet for this delicious side dish!
- Fingerling Potatoes: Fingerling potatoes are the best little roasters, but if you can’t find them you can use baby potatoes instead.
- Grapeseed oil: Butter alone, when cooked at high heat, will quickly go from nutty, brown butter (delicious) to burnt butter (not delicious) to due its low smoke point. However, combining butter with a neutral tasting oil with a high smoke point, such as grapeseed oil, will help to keep the butter from burning without affecting the taste.
- Kosher salt: Potatoes need salt so don’t skimp on it, but remember that not all salts are created equal when it comes to how “salty” they are. Table salt is far saltier than kosher salt measure for measure, so if you don’t have kosher salt, start with 1/2 tsp of table salt. You can always add more salt at the end if needed, or pass the salt and pepper grinders at the table.
- Garlic Powder: While I typically prefer to cook with fresh garlic, there is definitely a time and place for dried garlic powder, and that includes when you’re cooking at high heat, since fresh garlic burns quickly. Garlic powder infuses a dish with lots of garlicky flavour, but can withstand higher heat.
- Dried thyme and paprika: Reach into your herb and spice drawer for dried thyme and paprika, or switch up the taste of these potatoes with your other favourites dried herbs such as rosemary or oregano.
- Butter: The potatoes will infuse with the delicious taste of butter as they crisp up and sizzle away happily on baking sheet.
- Green onions (aka scallions): The green onion garnish is optional, but it adds both colour and delicious flavour to the dish. Freshly chopped parsley or chives work well as a substitute.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Crispy roasted fingerling potatoes are a welcome side dish to just about any meal, from prime rib to grilled chicken skewers. We’ll be eating them with grilled steak, tomato salad and corn on the cob this summer at the lake, and with pork tenderloin and carrots when we get back to the mountains in the fall. Don’t limit them just to the dinner hour though. A platter of roasted fingerlings will disappear off of any brunch buffet, and they make a delightfully sophisticated substitute for French fries alongside a sandwich or burger. Serve them as an appetizer with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing or Herb Garden Buttermilk Ranch Dressing as a dip.
DRINK PAIRING
Since roasted potatoes are typically served as a side dish, I’d be inclined to pair my beverage to the more dominant flavours of the main dish. That being said, I’ve eaten a lot of these fingerling potatoes on their own recently in the testing of this recipe, and have discovered that they pair remarkably well with a glass of dry, sparkling wine such as Champagne, or a chilled Sauvignon Blanc. The acidity (and carbonation in the Champagne) cut through the richness of the buttery, crispy potatoes for a refreshing and addictive combination. An earthy Pinot Noir is also delicious!
Crispy Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs/ 680gr Fingerling Potatoes
- 1 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil
- 3/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Green Onions, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Place a rimmed baking sheet on the centre rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 425F.
- Wash the fingerling potatoes to remove any dirt. Pat dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel, then slice each potato in half lengthwise. Add the potatoes to a large bowl, and toss with the oil, salt, thyme, garlic powder and paprika.
- Wearing oven mitts, carefully remove the preheated baking sheet from the oven. Add the butter to the hot pan and use a spatula to push it around the pan to melt the butter quickly. Add the potatoes to the pan and toss with the spatula to coat in the butter. Spread the potatoes out on the pan, flipping them over if necessary so each potato is cut side down on the baking sheet.
- Return the pan to the oven and roast the potatoes for 20-25 minutes or until they are tender on the inside when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, and crispy and golden on the bottom.
- Transfer the potatoes to a serving dish and garnish with the chopped green onions, if using. Serve immediately.
RECIPE NOTES
- This recipe serves 4 people generously. The combination of the crispy exterior with the creamy centre, mixed with the herby, garlicky flavour makes these fingerling potatoes highly addictive. I like to leave the platter of potatoes on the table, knowing that even the shyest of guests will have “just one more” until the platter is completely bare. If you’re having a crowd for dinner, go ahead and double the recipe. You’ll need more than you think! Spread the potatoes out over two baking sheets and switch the position of the sheets in the oven half way through for even roasting.
- Using a dark baking sheet will encourage browning.
- Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper will make for easy clean up, but the parchment paper will act and an insulator between the baking sheet and the potatoes and will inhibit browning and crisping.
- If you have any leftover potatoes, they can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat the potatoes on a baking sheet in a 400F oven for about 8-9 minutes to restore crispiness.
