Little buttery fingerling potatoes braised with garlic and dill and topped off with fleur de sel salt are the next greatest thing to hit your Sunday dinner. You are going to love these potatoes!
To me potatoes are just the perfect family food. There’s just something about them that always brings back memories of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Sunday dinners etc, all home cooked by Mom. But times have changed, and so have potatoes.
I knew as a young girl that there were Russet potatoes. And that was all there was to it. I had no idea there were other kinds and that they are not only different but some potatoes cannot be subbed for other potatoes in recipes. For example, these brown butter braised dill fingerlings. Read on to find out why.
What are Fingerling Potatoes?
Fingerling potatoes are low in starch and extra creamy inside with a paper thin peel that crisps perfectly when roasted. There are lots of different types of fingerling potatoes – red, yellow, purple, golden or a mixture of all colors.
What Do Fingerling Potatoes Taste Like?
Once roasted these potatoes have a flavor that is mild, nutty and earthy, and their texture is firm and moist.
Why Use Fingerling Potatoes?
I mentioned earlier that you wouldn’t want to substitute other potatoes in this recipe. The reason for this is that fingerling potatoes braise better than other potatoes because you leave them whole since they are so small. They get soft and tender inside while the skin gets crispy and delicious. Fingerlings are also perfect for fast meals since they don’t have to be peeled and they cook through quickly.
The Ingredients for Dill Fingerling Potatoes
One of my favorite thing about potato recipes is that they usually don’t take many ingredients to make them delicious. This recipe calls for just 7 ingredients. Here is what you will need:
- Butter: unsalted and used to braise the potatoes on the stove top
- Fingerling Potatoes: rinse them but no need to peel them and you only need 1 pound of them
- Kosher Salt: used to flavor the braising fingerlings
- Black Pepper: freshly ground
- Fresh Dill: You’re really going to want fresh dill here, but if you absolutely must use dried, use 1 teaspoon. You’ll also use part of the dill while the potatoes are braising and the rest will be added at the end before serving.
- Garlic: adds flavor to the potatoes as they braise
- Course Salt: fleur de sel or kosher salt, used to season the potatoes right before serving
The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post. You can save or print the recipe from there as well.
What Can You Substitute For Fingerling Potatoes?
If you cannot find fingerling potatoes, new potatoes are a comparable substitute.
What is Fleur de Sel?
Fleur de Sel is salt in its purest form. It forms as seawater evaporates leaving a thin crust on the surface. It is so pure that it has no bitterness and adds delicious flavor to food.
I’m going to guess that most people don’t have Fleur de Sel on hand, so any other coarse salt, including Kosher salt works just