I wonder if we’ve become so used to seeing bags and bags of potatoes on shelves all year round that we’ve forgotten the joys of new potatoes. The start of new potato season in late spring should be a cause for great celebration, especially as it coincides with the arrival of other such delights as wild garlic, asparagus and morels.
New potatoes are packed full of flavour when they’re in season and are incredibly versatile – you can cook them in almost any way imaginable and pair them with a whole host of different flavours. Here are seven recipes that are top of our list when April rolls around every year (and if you're after even more inspiration, check out our full collection of new potato recipes).
Terrines like this are fantastic for dinner parties – they can be prepared well ahead of time and warmed just before service. Frances Atkins takes inspiration from the start of summer, when new potatoes and peas come to the fore, combining the two with mint and wild garlic, before pressing into a terrine and serving with a delicious herb and mustard dressing.
If you’re still waiting to try your first bit of okra, this might just be the dish to go with – okra and new potatoes make fantastic bedfellows, especially when married by Indian spices. This recipe is dead simple too; just par-boil your potatoes, cook out your spice paste, then add your potatoes and okra and cover until cooked! When you take the lid off, you’ll be hit by a waft of beautiful Indian aromas, and not a single piece of slimy, overcooked okra in sight.
Galton Blackiston is a master of doing simple things well and this recipe epitomises that, combining crisp, salty samphire, sweet broad beans and bacon to elevate the humble potato salad. Galton boils his potatoes with mint and lemon to inject some extra freshness to the dish, before topping the salad with a soft-poached egg.
No round-up of new potato recipes would be complete without a dish from Shaun Rankin – he is the undisputed authority on Jersey cuisine, and the Jersey Royal is one of our most celebrated potatoes. Shaun bakes his pancetta, sautés his potatoes and cooks onion en papillote, before quickly frying his squid and assembling the whole lot with a drizzle of maple syrup.
Pesto is another simple and very tasty way to enjoy your new potatoes. Urvashi Roe uses Pembrokeshire Early potatoes – an earthy, sweet variety native to Wales – and steams them to lock in all the flavour. Whilst those are on the go she whips up a pesto of sunflower seeds, garlic and nasturtium flowers, tossing the two together and topping with hard-boiled quail’s eggs.
Andy Waters’ satisfying potato salad is a brilliant summer side, perfect with a barbecue, but also alongside a lovely quiche or a savoury tart. He pairs his boiled new potatoes with chunks of gorgonzola and baby spinach, and drizzles over a classic balsamic vinegar and wholegrain mustard dressing. Proof that the boiled potato still has a place in our hearts.
Having worked under Marco Pierre White, Michel Roux Jr and Chris Galvin, it’s no surprise that Bryn Williams’ approach to the humble spud is very classical. Bryn boils and lightly crushes his potatoes with spring onion and lemon juice, topping the whole lot with a flaky piece of smoked haddock and a soft-poached egg on top. Simple, classic and delicious.
