These sweet and zesty little fingerling potatoes are roasted and creamy, loaded with lemon and honey flavour. They make a great side dish but are also delicious as an appetizer - just set them out with cocktail picks and wqtch them disappear. (Skip to recipe.)

Don't you just love it when the underdog gets his moment of glory and steals the show?

. . . when David beats Goliath, when Charlie Brown's Christmas tree becomes the stunning centerpiece,

. . . when the usually relegated-to-the-side-dish, humble little potato comes to the party in the prettiest frock and gets all the oohs and ahhhs.

Like these sweet 'n tangy fingerling potato morsels - a stunning side dish for your holiday meal, or irresistible nibbles with cocktails. There is no such thing as eating just one.

The Little Potato Company sent me samples of their delectable creamer potatoes, so I've been playing with different recipes to showcase these cute and so-darn-tasty mini potatoes. My household couldn't decide between the coconut-crusted snowball spuds, or these zesty sweet 'n sour fingers. This recipe for the Honey Lemon Fingerlings only won out by one vote, so I'll pass on the other recipe soon. The point here is that these amazingly creamy and flavourful little potatoes taste fabulous, no matter how you dress them up.

And the harried holiday cook will appreciate that these small spuds are pre-washed and ready for the pot - no fussing needed.

You'll love turning the earthy little tubers into the delectable show-stoppers of your next formal or informal gathering.

I've made numerous batches of trial recipes over the last couple weeks. We've all been eating just one more little potato, and just one more, and just one more . . . until the whole batch is all gone, no matter how I prepare them.

This honey lemon version is inspired by a caramelized potato dish popular in the northern part of Germany, around Hamburg, known as Karamelkartoffeln. The original dish uses only sugar and butter to caramelize the potatoes, but I felt the use of honey and the added zip of lemon would really bring these little gems to the forefront of your next meal. They are so delectable I also served them as appetizers, alongside gin and tonic cocktails to enhance the lemony goodness. The creamy texture and intense flavour of these (lower starch) fingerling potatoes stole the show.

Wow.

That is all I can say.

* * * * *

Kitchen Frau Notes: Feel free to use all olive oil or all butter for this recipe. I've tried it both ways, and both are delicious.

Fingerling potatoes are fully cooked long before the recommended time is up, but the extended cooking time helps caramelize the juices and lets the lemony flavour really penetrate into the potatoes.

Honey Lemon Fingerling Potatoes

• 1½ lbs (680gms) small fingerling potatoes (or other small creamer potatoes)
• zest and juice of one juicy lemon (preferably organic)
• 2 tablespoons runny honey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup (60ml) water
• a handful of chopped parsley (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Line a 9"x13" pan with a piece of parchment paper big enough to come up all four sides of the pan. Trim off any bits that stick out past the top of the pan. (You can go without the parchment paper, but your pan will need a good soak and scrub afterwards to remove the baked-on honey.)

Cut the fingerling potatoes in half lengthwise, and put them into the pan.

Zest the lemon over the potatoes and squeeze over the juice of the lemon.

Drizzle with the honey and the olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Toss with two rubber spatulas, or your hands, to coat all surfaces of the potatoes.

Dot with the butter and pour in the water.

Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, turning the potatoes carefully with a rubber spatula, so as not to tear the parchment paper, every 20 minutes.

The potatoes are done when the juices are reduced and syrupy, and the potatoes are browned and caramelized in spots.

--- If serving as a side dish, transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. Great with any roasted or grilled meat.

--- If serving as an appetizer, transfer to a shallow bowl or serving tray, and provide guests with cocktail picks, or place a pick into each little potato half.

Should serve 4 to 6 as a side dish, or makes about 50 appetizers, serving 10 to 12 (unless you are our family - then 2 people can polish off a whole batch!)

Guten Appetit!

You might also like:

Spruce Tips and Potatoes and Cream

German Potato Salad

Campfire Baked Potatoes

Roasted Parsnip Fries with Spicy Orange Mayonnnaise

 

*The delectable fingerling potatoes used in this post were provided by The Little Potato Company, but the recipe and ramblings are, as always, my own.