I was at the Red Wagon booth at the Farmer’s Market Saturday getting some new potatoes. The same type of potatoes you will be getting this week, and someone asked me how to cook new potatoes.

I said, I would probably just boil them and put some herb butter on them. New potatoes are so yummy you don’t want to mess too much with them.
They said, how long do you boil them?
I said, until they fall off a knife when I stab them.
They said, can I over cook them, will they fall apart?
I said, check the Red Wagon Blog on Monday and I’ll explain with pictures.

So, where you go inquisitive person at the Farmers Market.
Boiled potatoes 101

Start with some beautiful potatoes from Red Wagon Farm, scrub the dirt off. No need to peel. Different sizes are OK if you have fingerling or new potatoes they will be different sizes, that is just how they are.
If you have larger potatoes cut them into similar sizes for even cooking. If they are small and different sizes just pull the little ones out as they are done.

Put your potatoes in enough COLD salted water to cover the potatoes by an inch or so, and bring to a boil. Don’t start with warm or hot water, it makes for a weird texture of potato and the outside will cook faster than the inside and you will have a mess.

After 10 minutes or so check one of the smaller potatoes to see if it is done. It will probably take longer, more like 15 minutes but check, you don’t want over cooked potatoes.
Get a SHARP knife, like a paring knife. Not a table knife, it’s too thick.
Stab one of the potatoes and if it slides off the knife it is done. If it stays on the knife put it back and check again in a few minutes.
Check out my video of a perfectly done potato in slow motion.

Riveting huh? The shadow of the potato falling is funny.

I just put some salt and pepper and butter and some herbs from the garden on these potatoes and they were perfectly delicious.

This picture is why I did the video. I kept trying to show the potato falling and couldn’t get it in still photography. No potato, just splash, splash,splash.
It made me lol. Hope you all are having fun with your food!