Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Craveable Sauce
- PREP 10min
- COOK 30min
- TOTAL 40min
These roasted fingerling potatoes taste smoky, creamy, and are perfectly golden brown. We love serving them with our ridiculously tasty potato salad inspired dipping sauce (shared below). Think of these fingerlings as the perfect appetizer for serving friends or as a flavorful side dish to meats, fish or other vegetables.
For roasting the potatoes, use the largest oven-safe skillet you have (a straight-sided 12-inch cast iron pan is ideal) or use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil.
You Will Need
For the potatoes
1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes, scrubbed, halved lengthwise, see notes
2 to 3 small unpeeled garlic cloves, optional, see notes
2 tablespoons neutral flavored high heat oil like grape seed, avocado or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, or more to taste, see notes
Flaky sea salt
Potato Salad Dipping Sauce
4 tablespoons mayonnaise, see our homemade mayo recipe
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon or yellow mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 medium dill pickle or 4 to 5 small gherkins, chopped small
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 large hard-boiled egg, chopped small, optional, see tips for cooking in notes
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Roast The Potatoes
Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If using a cast iron pan, place it into the oven so that it warms while you prepare the potatoes. If using a baking sheet, line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil and slide into the oven to warm up.
In a large bowl, toss the halved potatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves (optional) with the oil, salt, and pepper.
When the oven is hot and the potatoes well tossed, carefully add the potatoes to the cast iron pan then use kitchen tongs to arrange them into one layer with all cut sides facing down. If you run out of space, it’s okay if a few potatoes pile up the sides or on top of each other.
Roast the potatoes for 15 minutes, and then check for browning. If the potatoes have not yet turned a golden brown on the bottom, place them back into the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes. When the potatoes are mostly golden brown on the cut side, stir them around the pan, moving any potatoes that have no color on them into the middle of the pan (where it is hottest), and then continue to roast until the potatoes are fork tender and golden brown (watch our video in the article for reference). While the potatoes roast, make the dipping sauce (below).
To finish the potatoes, when roasted and while still hot from the oven, toss them with the vinegar and smoked paprika. Taste, then adjust with additional vinegar and paprika. Finish with a little flaky salt sprinkled on top.
Potato Salad Dipping Sauce
In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, vinegar, minced pickles, dill, egg, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Taste then adjust with more vinegar, salt, and or pepper. For an extra smoky kick, stir in a pinch of smoked paprika.
If you roasted garlic cloves alongside the potatoes, when the potatoes are done and the garlic cloves are cool enough to handle, squeeze the soft roasted garlic out of the peel and mince with a knife. Stir the minced roasted garlic into the sauce.
Make ahead: The sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance when covered tightly and kept in the refrigerator.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Small waxy potatoes like New Potatoes, baby potatoes, Red Bliss or Yukon Gold potatoes are all excellent substitutes for fingerling potatoes.
- If your potatoes are unusually large/thick, instead of halving them, cut them into quarters so that all the potatoes are cut in to a similar size.
- Garlic: For an extra flavorful dipping sauce, add a 2 to 3 unpeeled garlic cloves to the potatoes while they roast. When the potatoes are roasted the garlic will be soft and sweet in the middle. The flesh can then be minced and stirred into the dipping sauce.
- Smoked Paprika is made from dried and smoked pimiento peppers. It adds a deep smoky aroma and flavor. Unless noted on the packaging, it isn’t typically hot (spicy) and instead is mild and a bit sweet.
- The egg is optional, but it does add a lovely richness and texture to the sauce. Here’s our tutorial for how to cook hard boiled eggs on the stove as well as how we cook eggs in a pressure cooker (like an Instant Pot).
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
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