Fingerling potato problems

[gfweb]

I have yet to cook fingerlings that weren't starchy and unpleasant. Roasting or frying they come out badly. Half of the time I find restaurant fingerlings come out the same way.

What's the secret? I've not boiled them first. Is that the secret?

[nibor]

I just cooked with them for the first time: sliced thin, fried in hot duck fat. That worked!

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I've always considered fingerlings to be soup potatoes - they do unmake themselves when boiled for soupish amounts of time, and add a nice weight to the broth.

[Emily_R]

gfweb -- I'm with you. I grew fingerlings two years running, the second time thinking I'd surely they couldn't be as bad as my first experiences with them... But they were. Either too starchy or too gummy, but basically never good. Braising was the best way I found to use them.

[annabelle]

I thought I was alone. I've had the same problem with Yukon Golds; too starchy and gummy.

[rooftop1000]

I made some yesterday...Austrian Crescent Fingerlings. I boiled until just tender then split them lengthwise and panfried in a mix of butter and olive oil. Quite tasty

tracey

[Katie Meadow]

Fingerlings vary in texture, no? I don't much care for the ones called Russian Banana, since they do seem a bit on the soft side. I've had very good Ruby Crescents, but my all time favorites are the French Fingerlings. They have a thin pinkish skin, a knobbly to ovoid shape, and a really nice flavor.

I try to be as careful as possible not to overcook them, especially if I want to make a potato salad of some kind; just a minute beyond crisp is how I like them. My fussy anal-retentive method for cooking them: divide them into groups according to size, and add them to boiling salted water biggest group first, waiting a couple of minutes between groups. That way most of them can come out of the water at the same time, although I do test with a sharp knife before taking them out. I told you it was fussy.

[Smithy]

I've been delighted with the fingerlings I've used, partly for their ease of preparation (rinse, pat dry) and partly for their variety in size and color. Although I can see where the size differences might be aggravating, that hasn't caused a problem for me. I do think that as a rule I pick potatoes with approximately the same diameter to allow for even cooking. I've cooked them in the following ways: (1) braised; (2) parboiled then spitted and grilled; and most recently, used as a stand for chicken roasted over a bed of salt. That last may take some explanation: it's a technique from Paula Wolfert's The Cooking of Southwest France. You put about an inch of coarse salt in the bottom of a pan; bury the potatoes in it (whole); park the chicken atop the potatoes or on a grill parked above the potatoes, and let 'er rip at high heat. The potatoes come out silky, the chicken comes out perfectly done, and the oils and greases are absorbed by the salt to make cleanup a breeze. For more detail see her book; my point is that fingerling potatoes cooked in a bed of salt are a wonderful treat.

[BarbaraY]

I adore French Fingerlings. This is the first year that I wasn't able to plant them in some time. I think they roast beautifully with olive oil, garlic, and rosemary.

[Shalmanese]

I like my fingerlings dry. IMHO, fingerlings are some of the best potatoes to soak up an abundance of sauce from a braised meat or a steak. More dryness means they can soak up more sauce without becoming soggy.