Persillade Potatoes
Small new potatoes roasted until golden and just crisp on the outside, then tossed in a persillade, flat-leaf parsley and garlic in olive oil, in the last few minutes of cooking so everything becomes fragrant and slightly caramelised. Scattered with red onion and finished with flaky salt.
Ingredients
For the potatoes
- 800 gr new potatoes small, washed and halved
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 red onion
- flaky salt
- black pepper
For the persillade
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- salt
Instructions
1. Roast the potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan. Toss the halved potatoes in the olive oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and spread cut-side down in a single layer on a lined baking tray. Don't crowd them, give each potato enough space to roast rather than steam. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes until golden and cooked through, turning once halfway.
2. Make the persillade
- While the potatoes are in the oven, finely chop the parsley leaves and garlic together on the board until you have a fairly fine, fragrant mixture. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the olive oil and a pinch of salt. The persillade should be loose and vibrant, not a paste. Set aside and let the flavours come together while the potatoes cook.
3. Add the persillade and finish
- About 8 minutes before the potatoes are done, scatter the red onion rings over the tray. Spoon the persillade over the potatoes and toss everything together on the tray so the garlic and parsley coat the potatoes evenly. Return to the oven for the final 8 minutes. The parsley will wilt slightly, the garlic will soften and lose its rawness, and everything will smell wonderful. Keep a close eye on it, the garlic can catch and burn if left too long.
4. Serve
- Tip onto a serving dish, scraping up any golden bits from the tray. Finish with a generous pinch of flaky salt and serve immediately.
Notes
- Adding the persillade in the last 8 minutes rather than at the start is the key step here. It gives the garlic enough heat to soften and sweeten without burning, and keeps the parsley from turning dark and bitter.
- Degerming the garlic, removing the small green shoot from the centre of each clove, is worth doing. The germ is what makes garlic bitter and gives you that harsh, lingering aftertaste. Split the clove in half and pull it out with the tip of a knife.
- New potatoes work best here as they hold their shape and have a natural sweetness that works well with the garlic. Waxy varieties like Charlotte or Jersey Royals are ideal.
- Don't skip the flaky salt at the end. It makes a noticeable difference to the final dish.
- This works as a side dish for roast chicken, grilled fish, lamb chops, or just about anything off the barbecue.