Food Ingredients Guide 6 New Potatoes Recipes—Plus All the Reasons You Should Eat Them Give baby potatoes a chance! They're creamy, hold up to cooking, and there's no peeling. By Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner is a writer and recipe developer. She's a regular contributor to The New York Times, Time Out New York, Forbes, and many more publications. She also writes the food newsletter, Specialty. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 21, 2024 Close Photo: Simple Images/Getty Images You've seen them listed on menus, bagged in produce sections, and called for in recipes, but what are new potatoes exactly? They're not the freshest potatoes in your pantry, nor are they a specific variety. Hint: It's all about the harvest and timing. Here's everything you need to know about baby potatoes, including how to cook with them and why you should. What Are New Potatoes? New potatoes are dug up before they're fully mature. These adolescent potatoes—also called "baby potatoes"—are softer, have wispier skins, and exhibit a smoother, often creamier texture than their adult counterparts. Any type of potato can be a new one as long as it's harvested well before full maturity. Just because a potato is small, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a new potato. Creamers, fingerlings, and red potatoes are just a few examples of small potatoes that are harvested at full maturity, like a cherry tomato compared to a beefsteak. Generally, new potatoes can sub for any type of small potato called for in a recipe. Unlike mature varieties of starchy potatoes, like Idaho and russet—which are often larger, heartier, and have skins worthy of a deep-fry—new potatoes are more delicate and perfect for pairing with lighter summer fare. Nutritional Benefits of New Potatoes Since they haven't developed fully, new potatoes have a lower nutrient content than their more mature counterparts. This is, in part, because they haven't had as much time to absorb nutrients from the soil. Nevertheless, new potatoes aren't completely void of nutritional benefits. They're low in fat and are a good source of vitamin B1 and other B vitamins, which are essential to cell function as well as brain and energy levels. New potatoes are also naturally creamy and rich, so they can be cooked with less fat and salt, which often transform potatoes from a nutritious source of fiber to a high-caloric dish. Also, potato skins are packed with calcium and B vitamins, and since thin-skinned new potatoes don't require peeling, you're getting an extra nutrient boost with baby spuds How to Store New Potatoes Once new potatoes are dug up, their ripening accelerates, and they don't hold up as long as mature potatoes do. New potatoes stay fresh in the pantry for about 3 weeks, as opposed to months for some mature types. In line with standard potato-storing practices, you want to store new potatoes away from light, heat, and moisture. Keep them in a basket or drawer in your pantry where it's dry and away from other produce like onions that release gases that can cause new potatoes to ripen or spoil more quickly. If you notice wrinkles forming on the skin or little eyes starting to develop, use those new potatoes right away or put them in the fridge, where they can last up to three months. New Potato Recipes and Uses As far as prep goes, new potatoes are the no-fuss choice. With smoother skins and less clingy dirt as their more mature counterparts, new potatoes are easier to clean. There's also no peeling required for baby potatoes because their thin skins are wonderful to eat. New potatoes are versatile and delicious in many forms, especially boiled, roasted, fried, and cut up to add to soups and stews. Since they hold their shape well when cooked, they're great added to potato salads, thinly sliced into chips, and grated into hash browns. Recipes not well-suited to new potatoes are those that rely on the skin to hold up, like in a baked potato. Additionally, they're not the best choice for mashed potatoes because new potatoes are less starchy and can end up gooey. Ready to start cooking with new potatoes? Check out some easy recipes to get better acquainted with these tasty little spuds. 01 of 06 Baby Hasselback Potatoes Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner It's funny how a simple cutting technique can raise a side dish's panache level from zero to chichi, but that's the power of Hasselback. With just baby potatoes (any variety), oil and butter, a knife, and 45 minutes, you have a stunning side that goes with just about anything and delighted dinner guests! GET THE RECIPE 02 of 06 Garlic and Herb Potato Salad Greg DuPree New potatoes are soft yet hold their shape through boiling, so they're excellent in potato salads, including this herbaceous, mayo-free version. You'll get rave reviews whether you serve it warm, at room temperature, or cold. GET THE RECIPE 03 of 06 Smoky Sheet Pan Salmon and Potatoes Caitlin Bensel This easy sheet pan dinner only looks ordinary. What sets it apart are orange segments that share the roasting pan with salmon filets and baby Yukon Gold halves. It calls on more orange segments to create a sassy salsa with avocados, cilantro, and lime juice. Bright, light, and satisfying, this one's a winner. GET THE RECIPE 04 of 06 Mini Twice Baked Loaded Potatoes Grace Elkus These cuties are small but pack big flavors! A melon baller makes quick work of excavating once-baked new potato halves to make room for a roughly mashed potato, sour cream, and cheddar filling. After a second bake, top with a dab of sour cream, bacon crumbles, and more cheese for an app that's bound to disappear quickly. GET THE RECIPE 05 of 06 Slow-Cooker Coffee-Braised Brisket With Potatoes and Carrots Sang An New potatoes hold up well during slow cooking, which is why this recipe calls for them. As they cook, they absorb the brisket's rich beefy flavor and its tomato-coffee-Worcestershire sauce mixture. For maximum enjoyment, plan to come home to this on a winter weeknight. GET THE RECIPE 06 of 06 Rosemary Chicken With Zucchini Anna Williams Though they don't feature in the titles, new potatoes are a big component of this one-pan dish, along with carrots and zucchini. The best part is, you can prep everything in advance, freeze it, and throw it together when you need an easy, delicious dinner. GET THE RECIPE Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit