Simple and quick to make, this side dish is elegant and delicious.
I love potatoes. I love them prepared every which way. And I especially love potatoes with gloriously brown-roasted skins. These fingerling potatoes are pan-fried to crispy-skinned perfection and then tossed with leek that has been sauteed in butter and infused with white wine. Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley and you have the perfect side dish.
Fingerlings are potato varieties that naturally grow small and narrow and thus resemble, well, fingers. There are a few varieties of fingerlings, but probably the most common are the yellow-skinned Russian Banana fingerling potatoes, which is what I’ve used here.
This was a very spontaneous creation. I needed a side dish for dinner and saw that I had some fingerling potatoes on hand that needed to be used as well as a leftover leek that was desperate for attention. It all came together so smoothly and the end result was simply amazing. This has now become one of my favorite “go-to” side dishes.
Let’s get started!
Wash the fingerlings and boil them in salted water for 4-5 minutes or until semi-softened. Drain and set aside.
Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and saute the leek until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a rapid boil, and boil for 2 minutes until the alcohol has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the leek to a bowl and set aside.
In the same skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat and fry the potatoes until browned on all sides. This will take several minutes. Be careful not to turn the potatoes too often to prevent their peels from coming off.
Add the leek mixture to the potatoes and stir to combine and heat through.
Transfer to a warmed serving platter, garnish with fresh chopped parsley, and serve immediately.
- 2 pounds fingerling potatoes, washed and boiled in salted water for 4-5 minutes until just barely softened
- 2 tablespoons butter (vegans: use olive oil)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large leek, sliced and thoroughly washed
- 2 tablespoons butter (vegans: use olive oil)
- 3 tablespoons dry white wine
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute the leek until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a rapid boil, and boil for 2 minutes until the alcohol has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter and olive oil to the same skillet and heat over medium-high. Once hot, add the potatoes and fry until browned on all sides. This will take several minutes. Don't turn the potatoes over too frequently to prevent the skins from coming loose. Return the leek to the potatoes and stir to combine and heat through.
- Transfer the potatoes to a warmed serving platter and serve immediately garnished with fresh chopped parsley.
Laura Cartier says
Hi Kimberly, What do you think of making these a few hours ahead of time? Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Laura, I haven’t tried that but I don’t see why not considering these aren’t crispy so they won’t lose their crispiness over time.
Candy says
I made this yesterday using red potatoes cut in big pieces. Let me tell you, I thought I would have left over…nope! It was gone gone gone!. My kids loved it and wanted thirds. So it is a keeper recipe for sure. I didn’t have wine so I used chicken stock. Thanks for a great recipe! :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad, Candy, thank you! :)
Beth says
These look great and I will definitely be making them but is 4-5 minutes of boiling really enough to end up with fully cooked potatoes in the finished dish?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Beth! It will depend on the particular fingerling potatoes you’re using (ie, how big/thick they are). Usually fingerlings are small and between the initially frying and the boiling, yes it is enough time to make them tender. You can give them a quick prick with a fork to determine if they need to simmer a little longer.
Gertie says
Gee willskeri, that’s such a great post!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Gertie! :)
jesusan says
This sounds delicious – looking forward to trying it.
The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Susan! It’s one of my favorite go-to sides now.
Patricia S. says
This looks wonderful. I just saw some fingerling potatoes in the store the other day but wasn’t sure how I would use them. Looks like I’ll be going back to the store to get them. Thank you!
The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Patricia! This was a very spur of the moment creation. I had some fingerlings on hand that needed to be used as well as a leftover leek. It all came together so easily and the end result really was amazing. Enjoy!
Andie says
Oh my gosh, YUM!!!!!
The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Andie! They were SO good! I’ll be making these again and again.