BOILED POTATOES
MOST OFTEN WE BOIL POTATOES FOR salad. However, freshly dug baby or new potatoes can be boiled, buttered, and served hot as a side dish.
From our initial tests we knew that having a range of sizes in the pot was problematic. The small potatoes overcooked and their skins split when cooked with larger potatoes. Use potatoes that are all the same size.
While large potatoes are fine for salad, we think that the best potatoes for boiling and buttering are small—less than 21/2 inches in diameter and preferably smaller. These potatoes cooked more evenly—larger ones tended to get a bit mushy right under skin by the time the center was cooked through.
From previous tests, we knew that you must boil potatoes with their skins on to prevent them from becoming watery. However, we found that the flesh on a boiled potato must be exposed at some point so that it can soak up the butter and seasonings. When we tossed drained, whole, skin-on potatoes in a bowl with butter, the butter just stayed in the bowl—it could not penetrate the skin.
We tried peeling a thin band around the center of each potato before boiling to eliminate the need to cut them after cooking. This test failed. Once the potatoes were cooked, the skin that had been left on started to break away from the flesh, and the flesh, too, was breaking apart.
For the best flavor, we found it necessary to cut the potatoes in half after boiling. Although a bit tedious, we found that holding the hot potatoes one at a time with a pair tongs and then slicing them with a knife worked well. Once all of the potatoes were cut in half, we immediately added them to the bowl with the butter. As soon as the potatoes are coated with fat, the seasonings can be added.
Not only are cut boiled potatoes more flavorful, but they have a nicely moist mouthfeel. Comparatively, the potatoes left whole were dry and bland.