What Are Parsley Potatoes?

Parsley potatoes are just what the name describes. The vegetable, potatoes, and the herb, parsley, are combined. Increased flavor and a sprinkling of attractive green color to liven up the otherwise white potatoes are some benefits of this side dish. Potatoes seasoned with parsley is a side dish since, typically, no meat, cheese or other protein is added. Seasonings such as salt and pepper, plus butter, are often the only other ingredients in parsley potatoes, but recipes, as well as cooking methods, do vary greatly.

The type of parsley may be varied, although the flat leaf type is more commonly used. Curly parsley may be substituted and the dried rather than fresh variety of this herb may also be used. Since dried parsley is stronger in flavor than fresh, as long as it's used within about six months of opening the container, less of the dried herb is needed to season the potatoes than the fresh version. Some cooks like to add garlic and onions to parsley potatoes rather than butter, salt and pepper only.

Parsley, butter, salt and pepper, as well as sauteed onions and garlic, may simply be stirred into chopped, boiled potatoes. This is how some people make and serve a parsley potatoes side dish. Many cooks take the boiled potatoes through more steps which may or may not include browning them in a frying pan and/or placing them in an ovenproof dish to bake in the oven. The extra steps are often said to increase the flavor of the potatoes.

The potatoes should first be peeled and washed. Next, they should be chopped into chunks, placed in a pot of water to just cover them and boiled until tender. After draining the potatoes, they can be placed in a frying pan heated with some oil or butter and sauteed until golden brown. The parsley and seasonings can be added when the potatoes are about halfway browned. From the sauteed stage, the parsley potatoes can be spooned into a buttered ovenproof baking dish.

Baking the sauteed potatoes in a moderately heated oven for about 15 to 20 minutes makes the side dish complete. Many of these side dish recipes call for the parsley potatoes to be chunky in texture rather than overly mushy. Some potato and parsley side dish recipes use very small, early or new, potatoes either whole or halved. Parsley seasoned potatoes may accompany any type of meat or poultry dish. They could also be served with baked fish.