Do you like potatoes as a side dish? I have an easy recipe for peeled, boiled potatoes seasoned with caraway seeds and lovage. The potatoes will take on the flavor of the spices and definitely won't end up bland.
➜ About the recipe
In this recipe, I will show you how to peel, cube, and cook potatoes with caraway seeds and fresh lovage, so they are tender and full of flavor.
Potatoes are a staple food in many countries, including the Czech Republic, where this recipe originated.
Bohemian grandmas used to add caraway seeds to their potatoes when they boiled them. The reason was to improve the taste and neutralize solanine, a substance found in potatoes about to sprout.
Why add lovage to potatoes? In the Czech Republic, the green leaves of lovage are called "natural Maggi." Maggi is a global brand of seasonings, instant soups, and noodles that began in Switzerland in the late 1800s.
Lovage is an aromatic herb that enhances the flavor of a dish. It is most commonly added to potatoes during cooking or used to flavor clear broth soups. In the past, it was easy to find lovage in many Czech kitchen gardens.
TIP: If you don't have fresh lovage on hand, at least add caraway seeds to the potatoes when cooking.
Potatoes boiled in water with caraway seeds and lovage acquire a pleasant aroma and taste. They are at their best when drizzled with melted butter and served with Schnitzel, Cevapcici sausages, or Czech Sekana meatloaf. One of the simplest potato recipes for a delicious side dish to any meal!
➜ Ingredients for boiled potatoes with caraway seeds and lovage
To make tender boiled potatoes, you will need:
- Potatoes; medium-sized raw potatoes with skin on. Waxy potatoes like Red Bliss are best as they contain less starch. Such potatoes do not fall apart easily when cooked, even if you overcook them. If you're not sure which potatoes are waxy, grab Yukon Golds. This type of potato is multi-purpose, with semi-starchy and semi-waxy characteristics.
- Caraway seeds; whole
- Lovage; fresh herb
- Salt
To serve, prepare unsalted butter.
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
Equipment: potato peeler, large plastic bowl and pot with a lid to cook the potatoes in, wooden cutting board, and knife
➜ Peeling the potatoes
Place the potatoes in a plastic bowl and cover with lukewarm water. If the potatoes have any impurities, simply rinse them in the water as you peel them.
To cut the potatoes, prepare a cutting board and knife on your countertop. Next, prepare a large enough pot of cold water.
Now, take each potato in your hand and use a peeler to remove the skin.
Don't worry about using a peeler. Find one that works for you; in my case, it's a swivel peeler with a vertical blade that I use to remove the skin not only from potatoes, but also from other vegetables such as cucumbers and carrots.
Place the peeled potato on a cutting board and quarter it into approximately even pieces. Transfer the cut potatoes to a pot of water.
Continue until you have prepared all the potatoes in this way. In the plastic bowl, you will be left with only the skins submerged in water.
➜ Boiling potatoes after peeling them
Drain potatoes and return to pot. Fill it with clean, cold water so that the water level reaches about ½ inch above the potatoes.
Add to the water salt, caraway seeds, and lovage, chopped with a knife.
Cover the pot with a lid and put it on the stove on high heat. Once the water starts to boil, turn the heat down to a minimum, moving the lid on the pot slightly if necessary to allow steam to escape.
The water will bubble gently rather than boil rapidly. This is the best way to cook potatoes with herbs.
➜ How long do potatoes take to boil
The cooking time for peeled, cut potatoes depends on the size of the potato pieces. Cooking medium-sized quartered potatoes will take 15 to 20 minutes from the time they begin to boil until they are fork tender.
How can I tell if my potatoes are done? The best way is to take out a piece of potato with a spoon or fork and place it on a cutting board. Then either prick the potato with the tines of the fork or cut it with a knife. If there is no resistance, the potato is done.
➜ Serving
Carefully drain the potatoes and serve while still warm as a delicious herby side dish to the main course. Melt the unsalted butter and pour it over potatoes that are arranged on the plate.
Good to know: When the potatoes are drained, some of the lovage and caraway seeds will be washed away. If you want to give the boiled potatoes a touch of glamour, sprinkle them with chopped fresh parsley or chive when serving.
More potato recipes:
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Boiled potatoes as a side dish
Ingredients
- 2 pounds raw potatoes e. g., Yukon Gold
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
- 1 Tablespoon lovage greens chopped
- 1 Tablespoon salt to salt the water
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter to drizzle the boiled potatoes
Instructions
- Put the potatoes in a plastic bowl and cover with lukewarm water. Use a peeler to remove their skins.
- Quarter the peeled potatoes and put them in a pot of cold water.
- Prepare all the potatoes this way. Drain the water from the potatoes in the pot and fill the pot with clean water so that the potatoes are submerged.
- Add to the water salt, caraway seeds, and roughly chopped lovage greens.
- Cover the pot with a lid and put it on the stove on high heat. Once the water starts to boil, turn the heat down to a minimum, moving the lid on the pot slightly if necessary to allow steam to escape.
- Boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes, and then prick them with a fork to test if they are tender. If so, carefully drain them. If the potatoes are still firm, cook for another 3–5 minutes and repeat the test with a fork.
- Serve while still warm as a side dish to the main course. Melt the unsalted butter and drizzle it over potatoes that are arranged on the plate.
Notes
- Makes a potato side dish for 4 people.
- Caraway seeds added to boiling potatoes not only improve aroma, but also neutralize solanine, a substance found in potatoes that are about to sprout.
- Lovage is an aromatic herb that enhances the flavor of a dish. It is most commonly added to potatoes during cooking or used to flavor clear broth soups.
- When the boiled potatoes are drained, some of the lovage and caraway seeds will be washed away. If you want to give the boiled potatoes a touch of glamour, sprinkle them with chopped fresh parsley or chive when serving.
DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:
Conversion chart
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