Parmentier Potatoes

Parmentier Potatoes- A Cookbook Collection

Contrary to what you might think from reading this blog, I don’t cook potatoes all that often. Maybe once a fortnight. That’s very little for an Irish household! When I do, I like to go all out with them. That roughly translates as “Butter, add all the butter”! That’s where these Parmentier Potatoes come in.

For me, Parmentier Potatoes meant a handy box from M&S which I chucked into the oven to go with a simple piece of chicken or steak and a little salad. They are so simple to make though that I decided I have to make them myself from now on. They are basically little cubes of potatoes cooked in butter and/or oil and flavoured with herbs. Some recipes suggest parboiling the potatoes first but I just put them into the oven as it is easier and there is less to wash up. I’m all about the shortcuts here!

Parmentier Potatoes - A Cookbook Collection 1

Useful tips & links:

  • Honestly, I haven’t tried this but I would think the raw potato would freeze well. Coat with the butter, herbs etc, and freeze in individual portions ready to go straight into the oven.
  • To make it even easier, you could use some leftover garlic butter from my Chicken Kiev recipe to flavour the potatoes. I think the bacon bits would be a welcome addition.
  • If like me you are a bit of a nerd and would like to swot up on history of food, this post from The Daily Spud will explain more about Parmentier Potatoes.
  • I’ve gone with equal amounts of thyme and rosemary but you can use any strong woody herbs to add flavour.
  • If you want to get ahead, the cut potatoes will keep overnight in water saving you time when you actually want to cook them.

Parmentier Potatoes - A Cookbook Collection 2

Parmentier Potatoes - A Cookbook Collection

Parmentier Potatoes

 

Serves 3-4 as a side dish. 2 if you are particularly greedy!

Ingredients:

  • 800g of potatoes
  • 30g or 2 tbsp. of butter
  • 1 tbsp. of olive oil
  • 1 shallot, peeled and finely diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 1 tbsp. of fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tbsp. of rosemary leaves, finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper

Method:

  • Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes approx. 1cm in size. Put the potatoes into a bowl of water to draw out the starch. Leave them to soak for about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 220c/200c fan/gas mark 7. Put the oil and butter into a shallow baking dish and put that into the oven while it heats. You want the fat to be hot when you add the potatoes.
  • Drain the potatoes and dry them off with a clean tea towel. Take the dish out of the oven and add the potatoes into the hot oil. Be careful with this, if there is still water on the potatoes they will spatter in the oil. Make sure the potatoes fit in a single layer.
  • Add the diced shallots, garlic, herbs and plenty of salt and pepper to the potatoes. Mix through thoroughly so that all of the spuds are coated evenly.
  • Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and turning golden. Give them a stir every 15 minutes or so while they cook so that they don’t stick.
  • Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Parmentier Potatoes -A Cookbook Collection

 

 

 

3 thoughts on “Parmentier Potatoes

  1. Seriously, are you hacking me to find out all the things I like?! At this stage, I’d consider moving to cork and going through your rubbish for leftovers, but there’d be no leftovers….

    1. You know me too well, of course there are no leftovers. That’s why I need elasticated trousers! It’d be great to see you move to Cork but I reckon Tark and Mara wouldn’t find anything up to their exacting standards.

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