Boiled potatoes get an infusion of butter and parsley to make this super easy, three-ingredient side dish. This is one of my all-time favorite side dish recipes for any meal!
Buttery Parsley Boiled Potatoes Recipe
This is one of those recipes that comes so naturally, without much thought, that I didn’t really think about sharing it.
Until someone asked for it.
I bet we had these potatoes at least once a week when I was growing up. They’re the ultimate pairing for any and all comfort food because they’re so insanely simple to add along to any main. And so intensely delicious.
Baby red potatoes are the simple cook’s dream side dish. They’re creamy in texture. They cook quickly. You don’t have to skin them. And they’re easy to prepare no matter what your method. Roasting. Grilling. Smashing. And like here, with your basic quick boil in water.
Buttery Boiled Potato Ingredients
Based on the name of this recipe, I bet you can guess all the ingredients you’ll need to make these addicting boiled red potatoes. But hey, who’s going to complain about a simple ingredients list that delivers maximum flavor? Not me.
Here’s what you’ll need to make these buttery boiled potatoes:
- Small red potatoes
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Salted butter
- Fresh Italian parsley
How to Boil Potatoes
I think I discovered the secret to making these potatoes extra good thanks to my inability to get food on the table all at once. Invariably when I prepare these, they are ready before the main dish so they end up sitting and steaming in the pan with all that delicious butter, salt, pepper and parsley.
And that’s when the magic happens.
I use small white or red potatoes for this easy side dish. To prepare the potatoes, I simply give them a light scrub under cold water and use a small paring knife to remove any major blemishes.
Then, I add the potatoes to a saucepan and cover with cold water. I bring the potatoes to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes until done. Once cooked through, I drain the potatoes.
Once the potatoes are drained, any remaining water in the pan simply steams these spuds just a little more and the butter infuses into these little red bundles of starch with the chopped parsley and a bit more kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. The skins begin to fall off these little red orbs. And with a few good shakes of the pot, the creamy centers become just a bit more mashed/smashed/dashed with love.
Finally, cover the potatoes and let them sit on the stove for about 10 more minutes. You don’t even have to turn on the heat, but you can rewarm them before serving if you feel they need it.
Who knew 3 ingredients plus a dash or six of salt and pepper could be so good?
Who am I kidding? We all know, that’s who.
How Long to Boil Potatoes
Cooking red potatoes is incredibly easy. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat and let the potatoes simmer for 20 minutes or so.
How to Tell When Boiled Potatoes are Done
You’ll know the potatoes are done boiling by look — the skins will being to break apart from the golden whites of the vegetable — and with touch — by using a fork to check for doneness. The fork should easily slide in and out of the potato.
Watch the Video: How to Make Buttery Parsley Boiled Potatoes
Can I Use Other Fresh Herbs Besides Parsley?
Of course! If you don’t like parsley potatoes, feel free to use another fresh herb instead. Or, use a blend of herbs.
Can I Use Dried Herbs?
I don’t recommend using dried herbs in this boiled potatoes recipe as they’re much more potent in flavor and they’re also quite crunchy. Fresh herbs are the way to go here!
Tips for Making Buttery Boiled Potatoes
The secret to flavoring boiled potatoes of any size, especially how to boil potatoes for potato salad like the recipe where I share how to make the best potato salad, is to generously salt the water. But don’t salt it before the water comes to a boil or you’ll end up pitting your pan. I bring the water and potatoes to a boil together, then lower to a rolling simmer and add the salt then.
There’s no need to cut the red potatoes before boiling them. Just cut out any impurities and add the potatoes to the saucepan as is. You want the potatoes to remain whole so that the centers become ultra creamy.
Also, you’re welcome to play around with the flavorings used in this boiled potatoes recipe. If you like garlicky potatoes, add a little garlic powder. You can also use flavored salts, if desired.
More Recipes with Boiled Potatoes
- How to Make the Best Potato Salad
- Buttermilk Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad
- German Potato Salad
- Broccoli Cheese Potato Soup
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #foodiecrusheats
The Best Buttery Parsley Boiled Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds small red potatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt , plus more to taste
- 3 tablespoons salted butter cut into slices
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the potatoes to a medium saucepan and cover with cold water by 2 inches.
- Bring to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Reduce to a rolling simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork tender and the skin is beginning to fall away from the potatoes, about 20 minutes.
- Drain the water from the pan. Quickly add the potatoes back to the saucepan with the butter and parsley, and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Give the potatoes a vigorous stir with a wooden spoon or shake with the lid on so the potatoes break up a bit. Let sit on the still warm (but off) burner for 5-10 minutes and serve.
Nutrition
Looking for More Side Dishes?
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Easy Parmesan Buttered Noodles
- Roasted Asparagus with Browned Butter
- Sweet Carrots with Tarragon
What to Serve with Boiled Parsley Potatoes to Make a Meal
- Oven Roasted Chicken with Lemon Rosemary Garlic Butter
- 10-Minute Maple Crusted Salmon
- Easy Chicken Breasts with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
- Filet Mignon with Porcini Mushroom Butter
- 30 Dinners to Make When There’s No Time to Cook
Hey, thanks for stopping by! Make it a great day and here’s to cooking something seasonal and good.
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Those were the best potatoes I have put in my mouth! And I made them myself!
Glad you enjoyed Cheryl!
I make these all the time…I love ’em!!! I will make a batch & eat them all. I guess there’s only one way to prepare this dish, I created my own recipe, from the way it wax prepared at my elementary school lunchroom, it is exactly the same except, I use Yukon Gold potatoes, this is my personal preference, but I sometimes use a combination of both, the red & yellow potatoes. I always use real butter instead of margarine & I never let heat from the burner melt the butter, just the residual heat after removing the pan from the burner.
Some of the best recipes are the easiest, and yukon golds are definitely a great option to red potatoes!!
with the current coronavirus going around, I was unable to find the red russet potatoes, but I did find larger brown russet potatoes can I cut those up and follow this recipe? Will it work?
Definitley will work! You may want to peel them though.
I didn’t have fresh parsley, but wanted to try these as I’ve grown to LOVE the little grocery store potatoes with the seasoning packets that you can grill or nuke. These were GREAT! Hubby wanted more but I’d scraped the bottom of the sauce pan and they were gone. :D SUCCESS!! I’ll be making them again soon.
How many does this serve? I have a family Christmas party coming up and will have around 20 people to feed.
I would probably 4x the recipe. As is it serves about 4-5
Family went nuts for these potatoes. Delicious! Thank you!
Glad you loved them!
this will also add a crispy exterior. If you want to avoid any crunch, just put foil over them and bake
I love those parsley potatoes. My mother used to make them all the time. They sure brought back good memories. I had to read the recipe many times to get it down right. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the beautiful instructor. Thank you
I own Restaurant in Udaipur. I love to know about various Food and Cuisine Styles to add in my Restaurant Menu. Thanks for the detailed Recipes.
Want to try this for dinner party. Can they be made one hour ahead an kept in a warm oven, or will they turn to mush?
Most likely turn to mush.. if you want to make them far ahead of time, refrigerate and then reheat either by roasting in the over or by quartering and pan frying.. this will also add a crispy exterior. If you want to avoid any crunch, just put foil over them and bake.
This will be the tastiest food I can prepare.
Could it be
Do you think it would be good to add some parmesan cheese to it?
oh my these potatoes were soooo good!
i followed the recipe exactly but next time i may add some chives or sour cream…
Family loved them…
thanks so much !
Very good to see that you have attention to this kind of food.
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Thanks you ! This is Very good
I’m on the whole 30 and can’t have butter how do you think ghee or some other substitute would be?
Perfect :)
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This was truly absolutely amazing!!!! My whole family went crazy over these potatoes!!! The only thing different that I did was I added I’d say at least a teaspoon of garlic powder !!!! I love garlic❤️ Thank you so much!!
love to make this dish.. thanks for sharing this with us.. love <3 <3
I’ve been making these for years. I usually make them when I make baked fish or salmon patties during lent and all year long. I make extra and on the weekend I fry them up and break several eggs on them and stir until cooked. The key is to use fresh parsley never dried. Thanks for posting.
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So simple on ingredients, can’t believe I never tried these before. Love it. Plan on mak8ng it often.
wow good blog I love simple potatoes like this.
I love simple potatoes like this. However, I’m not a big fan of parsley. Can I use other fresh herbs instead? Maybe chives? I love chives…
I make these all the time but instead of Parsley, I chop up fresh oregano and add it in during the butter stage. It’s the main reason I keep an oregano plant!! The kids never allow leftovers of this side dish.
What a good idea Joy! Love the idea of oregano in these babies!
These are my guys new favorite potato. Easy to fix, delicious to eat, highly recommended! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
thanks for this article
Tried the potatoes. They were good but a bit plain.
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This is looking so delicious.
These are our new favorite! Trying them with small white potatoes tonight.
Red potatoes are my fave! You had me at butter + parsley. Done!
The red skin potatoes with the parsley makes this dish so festive!
Kari
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These looks fabulous!
You know the funny thing Heidi? I was going to ask for the recipe too lol. I saw them with the pot roast and was like omg those look awesome! Can’t wait to make these.
It’s amazing how something so simple can taste so darn good. I love eating seasonally for this reason! Steaming at the end is a great magic trick to make them soft, but not too soft.