Easy Parmentier Potatoes (Crispy Cubed Potato Recipe)

If you are stuck in a rut with your potato side dishes, you have to turn to French cuisine! The French certainly know how to take a humble potato to new levels! Amongst Dauphinoise, Lyonnaise, Pommes Anna and Boulangere Potato dishes, there is one, possibly the easiest French Potato dish! Parmentier Potatoes are crispy cubed potatoes with garlic and herbs - simply put, they are mini roast potatoes that cook quicker and have more crispy surface area!

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What Are Parmentier Potatoes?

Parmentier potatoes, also known as Pommes Parmentier, are a simple potato side dish. Potatoes are cut into small cubes, parboiled (or not, see our opinion on parboiling below), then roasted in hot oil in the oven with herbs (typically, rosemary, thyme or sage) and garlic. Some recipes also use onions or shallots.

The beauty of these mini crispy cubed potatoes is that they cook quicker than most other French potato recipes. Small cubes of potatoes don't require long to cook through and feature crispy edges and extra fluffy inside. You can also make this with swede - just follow our Roast Swede recipe!

For more delicious potato side dishes, visit Christmas Potato Dishes To Try Over The Festive Period.

Short History Of Parmentier Potatoes

But what is Parmentier and why are these potatoes called that? Well, let's go back to the 18th century. Things were very different back then...

The French believed that potatoes cause leprosy and are only suitable for animal feed. A French pharmacist, called Antoine-Augustin Parmentier was on a mission to change that! He is now credited with popularising potatoes across France. To convince the French government to change its laws against potatoes, he embarked on a range of publicity stunts: hosting fancy dinner parties for famous people (including Benjamin Franklin!) and serving potato dishes. By the end of the century, potatoes were widely accepted and used as part of the diet in France.

As a thanks for introducing the French public to this delicious vegetable, a bunch of potato dishes are now named after Parmentier, including Parmentier Potatoes, Hachis Parmentier and Salade Parmentier.

Equipment Needed

You don't need any fancy equipment to make these Crispy Cubed Potatoes. You will only need:

• Potato peeler.
• Sharp knife.
• Large bowl.
• Baking tray / baking sheet / roasting tin / roasting pan.

Ingredients

• potatoes: read all about the best potato varieties for Pommes Parmentier in the section below.
• olive oil: can be replaced with sunflower or vegetable oil.
• garlic clove: crushed with the back of a wide-bladed knife.
• rosemary: can be replaced with other fresh herbs, like thyme or sage.
• salt and black pepper.

Find the quantities, detailed instructions and nutritional information in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Best Potatoes For Parmentier Potatoes

If you want to cubes of potato to cook quickly, and have a crispy exterior and fluffy interior, you will need to choose the right type of potato. Floury potatoes work best for this recipe (as opposed to waxy potatoes). Starchy potatoes brown better too. Therefore we recommend the following:

• Maris Piper
• King Edwards
• Red Potatoes: like Desiree or Duke of York.
• Try Parmentier Potatoes using Yukon Gold if you are in the US.

Avoid waxy potatoes, like Baby New Potatoes, Charlotte, Salad Potatoes or Jersey Royals. If you have these, try our Balsamic Roast Potato recipe!

Recipe Video

Method

Preheat the oven to 210℃ Fan. Pour the flavorless oil into a large baking tray with high rims and place it in the oven to heat up.

Place the potato cubes in a large saucepan. Pour boiling water over them to cover them completely and bring them to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander (be gentle, you don't want the diced potatoes to lose their shape) and leave them to steam for 5 minutes.

Carefully take the hot oil out of the oven, spread the potatoes in a single layer, season with salt and pepper, add the rosemary and smashed fresh garlic clove in and stir everything quickly. Place them back in the oven for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, shake the tray vigorously (stirring will make the potatoes mushy and the cubes will lose their shape). Return the tray to the oven for further 15 minutes.

Remove the garlic clove and serve. You should now have crispy potatoes that are golden brown!

Parboil or Not Parboil

We questioned if parboiling the potatoes is a necessary step for potatoes Parmentier. And we performed a little experiment.

OPTION 1: We poured boiling water over the potatoes, covered them with a lid, and set them over medium heat on the hob for 5 minutes. Then roasted them as per recipe.

OPTION 2: We poured boiling water over the potatoes, covered them with a lid and set them aside (no heat) for 10 minutes. We roasted them as per recipe.

OPTION 3: We cubed the potatoes, and dabbed them with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Then added them to hot oil and cooked them in oil for 30 minutes.

VERDICT: There was no difference between potatoes parboiled for 5 minutes, and potatoes kept in hot water for 10 minutes. The texture, flavour and cooking times were the same. Potatoes that were added raw to hot oil turned out a lot less crispy on the outside, although they had darker exterior. The inside tasted more gummy than fluffy.

Useful Tips & Tricks For Crispy Success

• We use olive oil (not extra virgin) for crispy parmentier potatoes, but you may choose odourless oil, like vegetables, sunflower or rapeseed if you don't enjoy the flavour of olive oil. Alternatively, you can cook these potatoes in goose fat or beef dripping too.
• Make sure the oil is hot (sizzling hot!) before adding the small cubes of potato). If your oil is not hot enough, potatoes will absorb the oil and become soggy instead of crisping up.
• Parmentier potatoes are best cooked quickly on high heat. Lower temperatures will make them stew in their own steam, rather than brown and crisp up.

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate: Let the potatoes cool down to room temperature, then store them covered or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, place them in a roasting pan, cover them with foil and heat it in the oven for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 5 minutes to crisp up slightly. Alternatively, a great way to reheat a small amount of parmentiers is in a frying pan with a drizzle of oil.

Freeze: Cool the leftover parmentier potatoes down to room temperature. Spread them on a clean freezer-safe board or plate in a single layer. Place them in the freezer for 1 hour. Once they are frozen solid, place them in airtight containers or ziplock bags and freeze for up to 4 months. To reheat, cook from frozen in the preheated oven for approx 20-25 minutes.

Goes Well With

Whether you are looking for a perfect side dish for your weekly Sunday Roast or a fancy dinner party, these easy Homemade Parmentier Potatoes are a must-try recipe! They are an equally great alternative to traditional roast potatoes, chips, fries or wedges. We particularly love them with French Pork Tenderloin With Dijon Mustard or 4-Ingredient Dill Mustard Chicken Thighs. Try serving them alongside the main dishes below and some red wine jus:

• Lamb Roast Dinner (or Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder)
• Vegetarian Roast
• Glazed Gammon Joint
• Try them with grilled/ BBQ meats!

Other Potato Recipes

If you are looking for another great side dish to serve alongside your main course, you are in the right place. We love potato dishes from around the world (with a slight bias toward French cuisine). Here are some of our favourite recipes:

• Balsamic Roast Potatoes With Rosemary
• Roasted Smashed Sage Potatoes
• Hasselback Potatoes | Another Perfect Alternative To Roast Potatoes
• French Boulangere Potatoes
• Muffin Tin Potato Stacks
• Food Mill Mashed Potatoes