10 ways to cook new potatoes

New potatoes give an instant summery twist to your meals - and you don't even have to peel them! Available all year round, new potatoes are cheaper when they're in season (April - July) and are the basis for lots of lovely meals.

We've got lots of ideas and new potato recipes for you to try! Toss them in a salad, try them as a buttery side dish or add them to your favourite curry - new potatoes can be used in so many different ways. We've rounded up some of our favourite ways to make the most out of this delicious root veg.

There are lots of different ways you can cook new potatoes. How about boiling them, baking them or frying them in a pan with some garlic? New potatoes are very versatile and are a lighter option during the summer months.

So if you've picked up a bag of the mini spuds and don't know what to do with them, take a look at our 10 different new potato recipes for new ways to cook with new potatoes...

Crushed new potatoes

One of our favourite ways to serve them is to keep it simple and crush them lightly. After boiling, you can crush the potatoes using a fork or potato masher, the choice is yours! Most of the potassium found in potatoes is found in their skin, so using the whole vegetable is also a healthy alternative to classic mash. Try them warm in salads or hot with roast dinners.

Try them in:

• Crushed new potatoes with shoots
• Crushed potatoes with tuna and sweetcorn
• Salmon steaks on crushed new potatoes
• Gizzi Erskine's rare roast beef and crushed potato salad

Fried new potatoes

Leaving the skin on new potatoes as you fry them will help to keep their shape, and add a wonderful crunchy texture. It will will also ensure they don't fall apart when you fry them. The versatility of this way of cooking knows no bounds and we'd be happy to see them on the table at breakfast, lunch or dinner. They're also a great addition to a stir-fry in place of the traditional noodles.

Try them in:

• Quick farmhouse fry-up
• Mackerel and spud stir-fry
• Mediterranean chicken and potato stir-fry

Pastry

Wrapped in a buttery pastry case with other veggies, meat or fish, new potatoes make a satisfying meal when baked in a quiche or a tart. Thanks to their tasty flesh, these little potatoes add a delicious taste and an interesting texture to your quiche. You can pre-boil them before adding to your quiche to make them extra soft. Try with classic flavour combinations like bacon or smoked salmon.

Try them in:

• Crustless smoked salmon and potato quiche
• Smokey cheese, bacon and potato tart

New potatoes in curry

Forget the rice, bulk up your curries with the addition of small and flavoursome new potatoes for a filling one-pot meal. Some larger varieties of potatoes are floury and will fall apart when cooked slowly, but new potatoes keep their shape and absorb all those lovely fragrant spices. Simply throw them in with the rest of your veg and let simmer until tender.

Try them in:

• Aubergine, bean and potato curry
• Chicken tikka with potatoes and peas
• Massaman curry

Roasted new potatoes

Needing very little prep (just a quick rinse),new potatoes make a delicious side to a Sunday roast. Chuck them in beside the meat, skins and all, for a roast ready in no time. They'll brown quickly and have a delicious crunchy outer shell and soft, buttery texture inside.

Try them in:

• Gennaro Contaldo's roast baby chicken
• Grilled lemon chicken with potatoes
• Roast new potatoes

New potato salads

Boiled or steamed till tender, new potatoes make a substantial addition

to any salad. As they're best when in season, during the summer, a salad

is the obvious way to use these little beauties. Boil whole and toss in

the dressing while still warm, the potatoes will then soak up whichever

flavours you have chosen to use with them while they cool. Packed up in

lunchboxes or served up with barbecued meat, new potatoes make

delicious salads.

Try them in:

• Pesto potato salad with parmesan crumbs
• Kippers with potato and beetroot salad
• New potato and roast chicken salad
• Warm potato salad with smoked mackerel

Stewed new potatoes

Cooked slowly in a stew's gravy, new potatoes become soft and full of meaty flavour. Waxy varieties will hold their shape better and have a smooth and soft texture. Try them in casseroles, hotpots and stews to make your dinner a one-pot wonder. Add to the cooking liquid straight away and simmer slowly with the meat for soft and tender spuds.

Try them in:

• Easy sausage and potato casserole
• Chicken and potato casserole
• Irish lamb stew
• Spanish pork and chorizo stew

Omelettes and frittatas

New potatoes add an extra-filling element to omelettes and frittatas for

a speedy meal. Thinly sliced and pre-boiled, the mini potatoes cook

quickly giving you delicious results in minutes. Once cooked, they will

hold their shape, allowing you to cut the perfect wedge of filling

frittata - ideal hot for dinner or cold for lunch the next day.

Try them in:

• Smoked salmon and potato tortilla
• Bacon and potato wedge omelette
• Cheese and onion frittata
• Spring onion, potato and cheese frittata

Barbecued new potatoes

In the summer, when new potatoes are at their best, there's nothing as

nice as making and eating your meal outdoors. New potatoes are perfect

to pop on the barbecue as they cook quickly and evenly, even with a

temperamental barbecue to deal with. Simply rubbed with sea salt and

olive oil, they make a delicious crunchy, grilled treat. Thanks to their

firm texture, they are also perfect to thread onto skewers.

Try them in:

• Halloumi skewers
• Minty new potatoes

Baked new potatoes

It isn't just big fat jacket potatoes that are good baked, spare a thought for their little baby sibling - the new potato. Simply baked as you would a larger one, these potatoes make a speedier and sweeter alternative to the typical spud. With just a hint of imagination you can also turn them into a whole variety of baked dishes, from thinly sliced chips to layers with cheese and beside your favourite ingredients in a tray bake.

Try them in:

• Buttery baby potatoes
• Garlic and rosemary potato slices
• Pommes Anna with eggs
• Sausage bake

Where to next?

• 10 ways with mushrooms
• 10 ways with aubergines
• 10 ways with peppers

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