The article discusses the preparation of new potatoes, highlighting how they can be improved beyond simple steaming or boiling. The author reflects on a past belief in minimalism for cooking these potatoes, specifically referencing Jane Grigson's opinions and contrasting them with personal experiences of enjoying roasted potatoes. By considering how different cooking methods affect flavor and texture, the article emphasizes that while new potatoes can be simply prepared, there are better techniques, such as roasting or steaming, to bring out their rich, nutty flavor and satisfy cravings for this seasonal delicacy.
While anyone can roast a potato, doing it proper justice clearly requires a little more thought. New potatoes are, as the name suggests, the first of the early potatoes to crop each year.
Nigella Lawson steams her spuds first, which makes them taste more satisfyingly potatoey than boiled versions. Their dense, smooth flesh is ideal for salads and boiling, because it retains its shape after cooking.
I used to be of Jane Grigson's opinion that new potatoes should either be steamed or put into boiling water with sprigs of mint. But having recently enjoyed crisp-skinned, buttery-fleshed beauties from a restaurant oven, I'd like to add them to my repertoire.
The first and smallest of these new potatoes are still better steamed and buttered or oiled; there's not really enough skin on them to crisp, but the slightly larger, more robust ones that follow are admirably suited to roasting.
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