Next time you’re considering a side dish for your favorite Mexican Food Entree, think outside the rice box and consider these Mexican style Marbled Potatoes. Easy to make and seasoned with toasted cumin and garlic.
What You Can Expect From This Recipe
First of all, this is a very simple method to prepare Marbled Potatoes. With a quick simmer stovetop, then tossed with oil, toasted cumin and sauteed garlic, a quick trip to the oven broiler and your side dish is ready.
What Are Marbled Potatoes? They’re a waxy variety of baby or small potatoes which are harvested early in the season. They can be purple, red, white or gold potatoes. They have thin tender skins, which make them easy to prepare (no peeling). The skins are very edible and the most nutritious part of any potato.
The key to this recipe is to cook them twice. The potatoes are simmered first, and due to their size, only take a few minutes to be par-boiled tender.
Once cooked, they’re tossed in a mix of toasted ground cumin, sauteed garlic and oil.
Place the potatoes on a sheet pan for a quick trip under the oven broiler and you’ve got a crispy outer skin and creamy tender potato interior.
This recipe for marbled potatoes is inspired from the highly touted cookbook: Mexico: The Cookbook. The definitive bible on Mexican home cooking by one of Mexico’s leading culinary authority, Margarita Carrillo Arronte.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cumin: Cumin adds an earthy, nutty and citrus note to marble potatoes. And toasting cumin enhances the flavor, releasing oils, resulting in a richer more complex essence.
- Southwest Seasoning: For this recipe, I decided to finish these potatoes with a Oaxacan Seasoned Salt. A product from New Mexico where coarse salt is mixed with chilaca pepper. This mix brings a smoky flavor. You can also use a Southwest Seasoning .
- Olive oil is traditional for these types of roasted potato recipes, but try using butter for a more indulgent dish.
See recipe card for all ingredients..
How To Cook Marble Potatoes
- Step 1: Start by par-boiling the potatoes. In a saucepan, add enough water to cover the potatoes. Slowly bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are just starting to become tender.
- Step 2: In the meantime, heat a skillet stovetop over medium heat. Add the ground cumin and toast. Shake the skillet constantly until the cumin is aromatic. This should around a minute.
- Step 3: Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium low heat. Add the chopped garlic stirring frequently until garlic is fragrant and just starting to turn golden.
- Step 4: Toss the potatoes with the cumin, garlic and oil. Put the potatoes on a sheet pan. Cook under the oven broiler for about 6 minutes.
Hint: While the potatoes are cooking under the oven broiler, shake the pan 2-3 times to move the potatoes around. This will help with even cooking.
What To Eat Them With
Since this is a Mexican version of these baby potatoes, I’d suggest:
- Pollo Asado, Mexican Grilled Chicken.
- Beef Mexican Fried Tacos, Tacos Dorados.
- Or these pork Tacos al Pastor.
- Try marble potatoes with Chimichurri Flank Steak.
Storage
Store any leftover potatoes in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The best way to reheat is a quick roast in the oven, or in an air fryer. This will keep the skins crispy.
Top tip
When frying the garlic, watch it very close. Don’t let it brown or burn, or you’ll have to start over as it will be cause a bitter flavor.
Questions You May Have
Their size, shape, and variation in colors give them their name. They are much smaller than more mature potatoes, however, not as small as marbles.
Marble potatoes can be a number of potato varieties. Regardless of the color, then. skin is thin and delicate, therefore no peeling is necessary. Sine they are harvested very early, the taste of these small potatoes is buttery and sweet because the sugar in these potatoes haven’t turned to starch yet.
Parboiling means that you’re gently boiling potatoes until they’re partially cooked, but not all the way. So you do you know when they’re parboiled? Insert a knife or fork in one of the largest potatoes. If the utensil releases easy, the potatoes are parboiled. Watch these tiny potatoes closely so they don’t overcook. If you see a skin starting to crack, they’re on the verge of overcooking.
Related
Looking for more potato side dishes? Try these:
And don’t miss my category for side dish recipes. You’ll find lots of good recipes including the most popular on my site for Savory Cast Iron Skillet Potatoes.
Cumin Garlic Marbled Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil or melted butter
- 4-6 Cloves Garlic measure with your heart
- 1 Pound Marbled potatoes or small new potatoes
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin toasted
- 1 Red Chile Pepper for serving and garnish
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Slowly bring to a boil and simmer until parboiled tender. About 5-10 minutes. Drain in a colander in the sink.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium low heat. Add the chopped garlic stirring frequently until garlic is fragrant and just starting to turn golden. Don't let it brown or burn, or you'll have to start over as it will be bitter.
- In the meantime, heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the ground cumin and cook, shaking the pan constantly until the cumin is very warm and fragrant. Remove from heat.
- Put the potatoes in a bowl and add the garlic and the oil from the pan, and the toasted cumin. Use a large spoon to mix well.
- Put the potatoes on a sheet pan. Cook under the oven broiler for about 6 minutes. Shake the pan to roll the potatoes around while they broil.
- Place cooked potatoes in a serving bowl. Garnish with Oaxacan seasoning, Southwest seasoning, or a coarse flaky salt. Garnish with a slice of the red chile pepper and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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Marbled Potatoes … They’re What’s For A Side Dish
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and believe that everyone should try to cook as often as they can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
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