Can I use other types of potatoes for this Baby Red Potatoes with Butter recipe?

Yes, you absolutely can. While I personally recommend baby red potatoes because their waxy texture and thin skin hold up beautifully and absorb the melted butter perfectly, the recipe does mention that you can use other small-sized potatoes. Varieties like small Yukon Golds or fingerling potatoes would also be a delicious choice for this simple side dish. The key is to use a smaller potato so that the cooking time remains similar and they become perfectly tender. Just follow the same potato preparation steps for a wonderful result.

Recipes

Baby Red Potatoes with Butter

Sometimes, I find that the most memorable dishes are the simplest ones. My recipe for Baby Red Potatoes with Butter is a true testament to that belief. It's a fantastic recipe that transforms a humble ingredient like baby red potatoes into a star side dish in just 25 minutes from start to finish. In this easy recipe, you'll create perfectly tender potatoes that are bathed in rich, melted butter and seasoned simply with salt and pepper to let their natural, earthy flavor shine through. This is the effortlessly elegant and wonderfully comforting quick side dish you'll find yourself turning to again and again for any occasion.

Tom the Chef Founder

Published:
July 17, 2025

Before You Start

Let’s talk about important parts of the recipe before you start…

The Simple Elegance of My Baby Red Potatoes with Butter

Hello! I’m Tom Slepicka, and I’m so excited to share one of my favorite simple side dish recipes with you. In my years as a chef, I’ve learned that you don’t need a long list of complicated ingredients to create something truly delicious. My Baby Red Potatoes with Butter recipe is a perfect example. It’s all about taking a beautiful, simple ingredient—the baby red potato—and treating it with care to bring out its best qualities. We will create delicious seasoned potatoes that are incredibly versatile. This quick side dish is ready in about 25 minutes, making it perfect for a busy weeknight meal, yet it’s elegant enough to serve at a dinner party. The key is in the potato preparation and the simple but flavorful combination of high-quality melted butter, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Let’s get cooking!

Why Baby Red Potatoes are Ideal

For this Baby Red Potatoes with Butter recipe, I specifically call for 1 ½ pounds of baby red potatoes. Their thin, waxy skin holds its shape well during cooking and doesn’t require peeling, which saves a lot of time in your potato preparation. This also means you get all the nutrients that are stored in the skin. Their naturally buttery, slightly sweet flavor is the perfect canvas for the simple seasonings of melted butter, salt, and pepper. While the recipe notes that other small-sized potatoes can be used, I truly feel that baby red potatoes offer the best texture and taste for this particular simple side dish. Their small size ensures they cook quickly and evenly, resulting in perfectly tender potatoes every single time. Choosing good quality potatoes is the first step to making this easy recipe a standout success.

The Importance of Potato Preparation

The first step in making my Baby Red Potatoes with Butter is the potato preparation, and it’s a crucial one. I begin by rinsing the potatoes under cold water. This removes any dirt or debris from the surface, ensuring they are perfectly clean before cooking. After rinsing, I slice them in half. This step is more important than it might seem. Halving the potatoes serves two purposes: it increases the surface area, allowing the potatoes to cook a bit faster and more evenly, and it creates a surface that will beautifully absorb the melted butter and seasonings later on. This simple act of slicing them in half transforms the final texture and makes the seasoned potatoes so much more flavorful.

The Correct Boiling Technique

How you cook the potatoes is key to achieving that perfectly tender bite in this Baby Red Potatoes with Butter recipe. After slicing the potatoes, I place them into a medium pot and then cover them with water until it’s about one inch above the level of the potatoes. It’s important not to use too much water, as this can dilute the flavor, nor too little, which could cause them to cook unevenly. I then cover the pot with a lid and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once it’s boiling, I immediately lower the heat to medium. This gentle, steady simmer is essential. Boiling them too vigorously for the entire time can cause the potatoes to break apart and become mushy. Cooking them on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes with occasional stirring ensures they cook through evenly while maintaining their shape, resulting in perfect tender potatoes for this quick side dish.

How to Know When Your Potatoes are Perfectly Cooked

One of the most common questions I get is how to know when potatoes are done. For my Baby Red Potatoes with Butter recipe, the cooking time is about 15 to 20 minutes, but this can vary depending on the exact size of your potatoes and your stove. While you could poke them with a fork, my favorite tip, and the one I include in the recipe, is to simply take one out and taste it. It’s the most foolproof method! A fork can sometimes be misleading—it might slide in easily, but the potato could still be a bit firm in the center. Tasting it tells you everything you need to know. The potato should be completely tender all the way through, with no hard or starchy center. This ensures your final simple side dish has the perfect creamy texture.

The Draining and Return-to-Pot Step

Once you’ve confirmed the potatoes are cooked, the next step is to drain them thoroughly using a colander. This removes all the cooking water. But here’s the important part of the process for making the best Baby Red Potatoes with Butter: I immediately return the hot, drained potatoes back to the warm pot they were cooked in. This simple action uses the residual heat from the pot to evaporate any remaining surface moisture on the potatoes. Why is this important? It ensures the potatoes are dry, which allows the melted butter to cling to them beautifully instead of being repelled by water. This step is critical for getting that rich, buttery coating on every single piece of potato.

The Final Phase: Bringing It All Together

The final phase is where the magic happens and this easy recipe truly comes to life. With the tender potatoes back in the warm pot, I add the three key flavoring ingredients: 3 tablespoons of butter, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of freshly ground pepper. Using freshly ground pepper makes a noticeable difference in flavor compared to pre-ground. The heat from the potatoes will instantly start to create a luscious melted butter sauce. The next step is to use a spatula to thoroughly but gently fold everything together. This gentle folding motion ensures that each half-potato is evenly coated with the seasoned butter without mashing or breaking the tender potatoes. It’s a simple technique for a simple side dish, but it guarantees a perfect result.

Tasting and Adjusting: The Final Touch

My final step for the Baby Red Potatoes with Butter, and for any recipe I create, is to taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. After folding the melted butter, salt, and pepper into the tender potatoes, I always take a moment to taste one. This allows me to check if it needs a little more salt or another pinch of pepper to perfectly suit my preference. Palates vary, so this step empowers you to make the dish perfect for you and your family. This simple act of tasting and adjusting is what elevates a good dish to a great one. It’s the final touch that ensures this quick side dish is absolutely delicious every time you make it.

Recipe

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