How to cook new potatoes

Learn how to cook new potatoes and thereby get most of its nutritional value. New potatoes, also called creamers, baby potatoes, chats, potato nuggets, or earlies, refer to harvested potatoes before they reach maturity and not fully grown. You can tell new potatoes by the look of its skin.  Skin of new potatoes is flimsy and thinner and can easily be peeled off with your fingers.

Since new potatoes are gathered before they are completely full grown, they are prone to damage easily. When you buy new potatoes, carefully select those that are without discoloration. They are susceptible to sun damage too, because of their thin skin. Avoid new potatoes that have green patches under its red or yellow skin. This green patch contain toxic alkaloid solanine; so either you throw them away or just cut off the entire green patch before cooking. New potatoes spoil easily and will only keep for about a week. Thus, buy new potatoes as you use them while they are still fresh as possible. You are guaranteed the best flavor when new potatoes are fresh. Fresh potatoes will look firm, no wrinkles, no discoloration, odorless and solid to touch. New potatoes are tasty and more nutritious if cooked with skins. So just scrub and wash off the dirt gently.

There are different ways how to cook new potatoes, but they are best boiled and roasted because of their small size and can be cooked whole. Many people love new potatoes because of their moisture content and smooth grain.

Old and new potatoes are treated differently by experts when they are boiled. Obviously, new potatoes take only about 20 minutes to make it tender. So, when cooking new potatoes, match their sizes as much as possible.

Arrange the new potatoes in a pan and cover with enough water.

Cover with a lid and leave it simmer gently for about 15-20 minutes, until just tender. After 15 minutes, check with the point of a sharp knife or a fork. If they pierce easily, they are tender enough if not, boil for a little longer. Add a drop of lemon juice to the boiling water in order to retain the color of the new potatoes.

Once done, drain immediately. The Vitamin C in new potatoes might be dissolved in the water.

Arrange the newly cooked potatoes in a nice dish. Serve with a lump of butter or sprinkle with salt and pepper, and your favorite herb, chopped.

If you like roasted new potatoes, just add ¼ cup of olive oil to a large pan where potatoes are arranged in just one layer. Add 1 clove minced garlic and toss to coat. Add 3 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, salt and pepper. Bake at 400⁰ for 40 minutes until tender.

The easy way how to cook new potatoes and you still get the same nutritional value.