The recipe of boiled cubed potatoes, as a side dish, is pretty simple. I promise you that you won`t have any difficulties with this recipe if you follow it accurately, step by step. You can divide the process of cooking potatoes into three main parts.
First, you need to clean them. No matter how basic this sounds, you do it very thoroughly. Because if you leave the dark spots and some damages, it may significantly influence the appeal of your whole meal. The next step will be boiling, and it will end with adding butter and freshly chopped herbs. I will not limit you here, as you can add any herb of your choice (dill, parsley, and cilantro leaves – is mine).
However, before I share with you the recipe itself, I have prepared a chart where you can learn the boiling time of potato depending on the method you are using for cooking. Moreover, you will find two more recipes – boiling potatoes in a cooker and a steamer.
Other potato recipes you might like:
How long to boil potatoes?
Many factors influence the boiling time for potatoes. The first one is a type of potatoes you use (as more starchy types cook quicker); then you decide whether you are boiling it whole or cutting it into pieces (do not forget that potato cubes can be of different sizes, too). I have created a list where it will be easy for you to check boiling time for different recipes:
- How long do you boil peeled whole potatoes? Medium-sized potatoes (peeled, uncut) will be ready in 20-25 minutes (start timing after water boils).
- How long to boil cubed potatoes (peeled)? You should cook potato cubes for 15 to 20 minutes after water in the pot starts to boil. Unfortunately, the exact cooking time depends on many factors: the size of potato cubes, the amount of water in which potatoes are cooking, and, of course, the capacity of your stove.
- How long to boil whole potatoes with skin on? Medium-sized whole potatoes with skin on will be ready in 20 minutes. I have a detailed guide for you on how to cook perfect whole potatoes (to use as an ingredient in other recipes, such as salad).
- How long does it take to boil baby potatoes? As a rule, it takes about 15 minutes to cook baby potatoes in boiling water.
- How long to boil potatoes for mashed potatoes? The first thing to mention is that I cut potatoes into cubes to boil potatoes for mashed. You will need 15-20 minutes to cook through potatoes for a perfect mash. Try not to overcook potatoes, as they will become very smooshy.
- How long to boil potato cubes in soup? I usually boil small potato cubes for 10 minutes in the soup (of course, it depends on the size of cubes you cut).
- How long to boil potatoes for potato salad? I prefer cooking potatoes whole, with skin on, for making a salad. So, you need to cook potatoes for 15 to 18 minutes. My top advice will be to start checking potatoes for doneness with a toothpick, as you want to have potatoes cooked through but not overcooked.
Now, as we have established boiling time for cubed potatoes, let`s have a look at how to cook delicious cubed potatoes side dish with butter and fresh herbs.
Boiled Potatoes with Butter and Herbs – Easy Side Dish Recipe
This recipe is an example of a quintessential side dish for me. Boiling potatoes in cubes is the easiest way to cook them. You can adjust the recipe to your taste with your favorite type of herbs. Mine is chopped fresh dill; the aroma is mesmerizing. It can easily provoke your appetite, and when you combine dill with melted butter, there is no way you can resist.
This recipe is easy to follow. If you are making a boiled cubed potatoes recipe for the first time, it will be very simple to cook this side dish at home:
Ingredients for the recipe:
- 4-5 potatoes, medium-sized;
- 1 l water; ½ tsp. salt;
- 1 tbsp. butter;
- chopped fresh herbs.
How to boil cubed potatoes:
- Take the necessary amount of potatoes for the recipe. Make sure that you have proportions right: 1 liter of water for four cubed medium-sized potatoes. So, if you need to make dinner for more people, remember that you need two potatoes for one serving. Thoroughly rinse potatoes under running water and get rid of all the dirt.
- Peel potatoes with a knife or a special peeler; get rid of all the dark spots. Do not leave them, as it will hugely influence the level of savouriness of the dish in the end. Rinse potatoes under running water once again, and now you can cut them into cubes (depending on the size, I get 4-6 pieces from one potato).
- Put the potato into the pot, cover it with cold running water, and then drain it. You can repeat this step several times to get rid of the excess starch. Finally, pour one liter of cold water, in which you will be cooking potatoes, into the pot. As a rule, it will cover potato cubes and will be 2-3 centimeters above.
- Put the pot on high heat; wait until the water boils and reduce it to low medium for water to simmer constantly. Add salt (I use the following ratio: 1 teaspoon for 1 kilo of potatoes).
- Do not forget to rid of all the foam that is forming on the surface of cooking potatoes.
- You should cook potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes after the water starts boiling in the pot. You always can check it for doneness by piercing bigger cubes with a fork or a knife.
You can add a peeled garlic clove, onion, or a bay leaf to boiling potato cubes to make their aroma more zesty and savory. Get rid of them after draining water from cooked potatoes.
- Drain water in which potatoes were cooking at once after you decided that potatoes are done. You do this to prevent the boiled potato from softening and overcooking.
- Now add butter and freshly chopped herbs and cover the pot with a lid. Wait until butter melts before mixing and serving the dish.
When do you add salt to boiling potatoes? Salt causes potatoes to overcook. This means, if you are cooking it, for example, for mashed, you can add it at the very start when you cover potatoes with cold water. However, if I am cooking cubed potatoes for a side dish, I add salt to the pot after water boils.
What to serve with this recipe:
Why do potatoes get dark after cooking? If you store cooked potatoes (both boiled and fried) in the open air for a long time, it can get darker (sometimes black/purple color). This happens due to air exposure to ferri-chlorogenic acid in potatoes. I also would advise you not to store peeled raw potatoes for a long time without covering them with cold water. Potato gets darker with prolonged contact with air. Simply peel potatoes just before cooking.
Boiled Cubed Potatoes Recipe - How to Boil Potato Potato Cubes
Ingredients
- 4-5 medium-sized potatoes
- 1 l water
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. butter
- chopped fresh herbs
Instructions
- Take the necessary amount of potatoes for the recipe. Make sure that you have proportions right: 1 liter of water for four cubed medium-sized potatoes. So, if you need to make dinner for more people, remember that you need two potatoes for one serving. Thoroughly rinse potatoes under running water and get rid of all the dirt.
- Peel potatoes with a knife or a special peeler; get rid of all the dark spots. Do not leave them, as it will hugely influence the level of savouriness of the dish in the end. Rinse potatoes under running water once again, and now you can cut them into cubes (depending on the size, I get 4-6 pieces from one potato).
- Put the potato into the pot, cover it with cold running water, and then drain it. You can repeat this step several times to get rid of the excess starch. Finally, pour one liter of cold water, in which you will be cooking potatoes, into the pot. As a rule, it will cover potato cubes and will be 2-3 centimeters above.
- Put the pot on high heat; wait until the water boils and reduce it to low medium for water to simmer constantly. Add salt (I use the following ratio: 1 teaspoon for 1 kilo of potatoes).
- Do not forget to rid of all the foam that is forming on the surface of cooking potatoes.
- After the water starts boiling in the pot, cook potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes. You can always check it for doneness by piercing bigger cubes with a fork or a knife.
- Drain water in which potatoes were cooking at once after you decided that potatoes are done. You do this to prevent the boiled potato from softening and overcooking.
- Now add butter and freshly chopped herbs and cover the pot with a lid. Wait until butter melts before mixing and serving the dish.
Notes
If you have Pinterest, feel free to pin the following picture!
How to boil potatoes in a cooker
You also have an option to cook cubed potatoes in a pressure cooker. I should admit that the process itself is not much different from cooking potatoes in the pot on the stovetop. Let`s have a look at the process of cooking potatoes in a cooker:
- First, you need to prepare potatoes before cooking: wash thoroughly, peel them, cut out all the dark spots, wash potatoes once again, and cut them into cubes.
- Put potato cubes inside the cooker, cover with cold water (it should be 2 centimeters above potatoes), and add salt (1 teaspoon of salt for 1 liter of water).
- Use the most convenient setting in a cooker. Mine has Boiling, for which I set the timer for 30 minutes.
- When cooking ends, check potatoes for doneness. If they are ready, then drain all the water using a colander. Be careful, as it is still hot. Now, you can use it for making side dishes and other recipes.
Why does cooked potato taste bitter? This can happen in several cases. First, you could have bought potatoes of low quality (possibly, many chemicals were used for its cultivation). On the other hand, its skin and even some parts of the potato were still green. You better get rid of them entirely before cooking.
How to steam potato cubes?
One of the ways to cook baked potato cubes with butter and herbs for dinner is to prepare the dish in a steamer. Moreover, by steaming, you make sure that most of the nutrients are saved. Here is a quick recipe for you to follow:
- Wash potatoes, peel them and cut into cubes (one potato into 4-6 cubes). Wash potato cubes under running cold water once again.
- Pour water into the necessary compartment. Place potato cubes in a steamer basket.
- Turn on the steamer and steam them for 30 minutes or until tender (as steaming time depends on the size of cubes).
- I tend to rinse steamed potato cubes after cooking to get rid of the starch that comes out. Then I add butter and chopped dill.
If you were using this method to cook potatoes for dinner, I would advise you to clean the steamer right afterward; dried potatoes will be the hardest thing to get rid of.
In this post, I have tried to share with you all the tips and tricks that I know will certainly help you in making the best-boiled potatoes. The recipe itself was not so difficult. I think that you will agree here with me 100%. The most difficult part is to get the timing right. The time when potatoes are ready and not to overcook or even undercook them.
The only thing left for me to add is that everything comes with time and practice. Only you know how your stove works (for example, how quickly water boils on it), how many servings you are cooking, and the type of potatoes you use. I hope that with all this information, you will find what you are looking for.
If you have any questions or need help, leave a comment in the section below, and I will get back to you as quickly as possible.
