Best ways to use up Jersey Royal potatoes

The arrival of Jersey Royal potatoes is a joyous moment in the food calendar that deserves a bit of a celebration. These little kidney-shaped potatoes start to appear in greengrocers, markets and supermarkets from the end of March and are available until July, with May considered the peak of the season.

Jersey Royal potatoes have a distinctive flavour that is slightly nutty, earthy and sweet, and, with their firm but creamy texture, they are a real treat. They need only very gentle cooking, and are at their best simply steamed and served with a small knob of salted butter as a quick potato salad, barbecue side or a spring or summery accompaniment for roasts or grilled fish.

We’ve created 4 easy recipes that are fantastic ways to use up Jersey Royals that you may have left over. Let nothing go to waste! And check out more brilliant Jersey Royal recipes – as well as an FAQs section on new potatoes – at the bottom of the page.

How to prepare and cook Jersey Royals

Serves 6 to 8, as a side

Wash 1kg of Jersey Royal potatoes under cold running water to remove the earth (be very gentle, as the skins are fragile) until you’re left with creamy potatoes with delicate flakes of skin remaining. Place them in a large pan of salted water and bring to the boil, adding a couple of sprigs of fresh mint, if you like. Cook for 15 minutes, then drain and allow to steam dry. Top with a small knob of salted butter and serve.

Check out our 4 easy ways to enjoy your Jersey Royal potatoes so you can make the most of their short season.

Make a homemade mayonnaise by simply whisking 1 free-range egg yolk in a bowl. Whisk in 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, then gradually add 125ml of mild olive oil (or 50/50 olive oil and rapeseed oil), whisking continuously for 3 to 5 minutes, or until thickened. Whisk in ½ tablespoon of white wine vinegar, then drizzle in 125ml oil, whisking continuously, until you have a creamy mayonnaise consistency. Season with a pinch of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Fold half of the mayonnaise through the warm potatoes (spoon the rest into a sealable jar and keep in the fridge for another day). Deseed 1 fresh red chilli and finely slice with 3 spring onions, then sprinkle over the creamy potatoes. Dust with a little smoked paprika and serve.

For a herby potato salad, finely slice ½ a red onion and mix with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar in a small bowl, then set aside to pickle for 5 to 10 minutes. Toss the warm potatoes in 150ml natural yoghurt, then finely chop ½ a bunch of soft herbs (15g; dill, mint, parsley or chives all work well) and scatter over the top. Add the pickled onions to the potatoes, juice and all, and mix together, then season to perfection and serve.

Make a salsa verde by mixing 30g of soft herbs, such as mint, parsley and basil, then finely chop with 1 tablespoon of capers, 4 cornichons and 6 anchovies. Mix together 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar and 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a bowl and stir in the herbs. Season to taste, then add the warm potatoes and gently toss together, crushing the potatoes slightly so the flavours can infuse.

For roasted Jersey Royals, preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Boil the potatoes for just 5 minutes, then drain and leave to air dry. Once dry, tip into a large roasting tray and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Break up a whole bulb of garlic into separate cloves and crush with the side of a knife, and toss into the tray. Pick in the leaves from ½ a bunch of fresh rosemary (15g) and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, or until crispy and golden.

Jersey Royal traybake

A squashed and roasted spud is a thing of joy, so embrace this technique during Jersey Royal season and serve with a creamy horseradish and cottage cheese dressing with some peppery watercress, asparagus and smoked salmon alongside.

Air-fryer salmon with crispy potatoes

Cook up some crispy spuds in the air fryer to make this beautifully seasonal midweek dinner. This recipe doesn’t specify Jersey Royals, but they would make this extra special. We love how the slices of potato crisp up, and don’t need parboiling.

Jersey Royals & wild garlic

With only 4 ingredients, this dish is a punchy, garlicky and herby side for grilled chicken, fish or roasted veggies. As Jersey Royal recipes go, you can’t get more bang-in-season springtime than this!

Hungry for more? Check out more delicious ways to celebrate Jersey Royal potatoes.

FAQs

What are new potatoes?

Boiled, roasted, sautéed or served warm in a salad – we love new potatoes! Although they are a vegetable, in the UK potatoes don’t count towards your 5-a-day. Because of the way we eat them, they’re instead classified in the starchy carb food group. Potatoes are part of the nightshade plant family, which also includes tomatoes and chillies. We eat the tubers of the plant, which grow underground. More than 1 billion people around the world eat potatoes, making it one of the planet’s most important food crops. And put simply, new potatoes are small or young potatoes that are harvested before they’ve reached maturity, making them sweet and totally delicious.

And what are jersey royals?

Jersey Royals are an early variety of new potato grown in Jersey, in the Channel Islands. They have ‘protected designation of origin’ (PDO) status, like Champagne, Forced Yorkshire rhubarb and West Country farmhouse Cheddar cheese, which means no one outside of Jersey can grow and sell potatoes and call them Jersey Royals. They are famed for their nutty, sweet and earthy flavour and waxy texture.

When are new potatoes in season?

There are lots of varieties of new potatoes that come into season at different points in the year. Early variety Jersey Royals are available from the end of March until July (with May marking the peak of the season). Cornish new potatoes or ‘Cornish earlies’ follow from June to early August. July marks the arrival of second earlies and maincrop new potatoes, like Ratte that’s available from July to September, and Pink Fir Apple potatoes that are available from mid-August into the early autumn. If stored correctly, new potatoes can last for months, meaning they are available for most of the year. And there are so many varieties of new potatoes out there – ask your local greengrocer!

How to prep and cook new potatoes?

It’s helpful to know the texture of the potato variety you’re cooking, and most new potatoes tend to be waxy. A waxy potato is low in starchy dry matter, so it doesn’t easily disintegrate and is therefore well suited to boiling or steaming. Wash new potatoes under cold running water to remove any soil (be very gentle, as the skins can be fragile). Place them in a large pan of salted water and bring to the boil, adding a couple of sprigs of fresh mint, if you like. Cook for 15 minutes, or until tender, then drain and allow to steam dry. Top with a small knob of salted butter and serve. See above for ways to enjoy new potatoes – or more specifically; Jersey Royals.

How to store new potatoes

Choose firm potatoes with no blemishes or squishy bits on the skin. Don’t worry if they’re still covered in soil – this helps to keep them fresher for longer. Store potatoes in a paper bag or wrapped in sheets of newspaper somewhere cool and dark. For best results, wrap them individually or make sure they don’t touch one another too much in the bag.

What are the health benefits?

Potatoes are a source of potassium. Potassium helps keep our blood pressure healthy. It also helps to control the balance of fluids in the body, and keeps our heart muscles working properly. Potatoes are also a source of vitamin B6, which we need to make red blood cells and prevent tiredness and fatigue.