The basic steps have stayed the same for decades: peel, cut into cubes, salt the water, boil, drain, and serve. It does work. It’s fast. It’s also a little boring.
When you boil potatoes in plain water, a lot of their flavor and some of their nutrients get into the water, which you usually throw away. You can only use salt to flavor the food. Later on, you’ll need to use butter, sauces, or gravy to make it taste better.
When you switch from water to broth, the liquid that cooks the food goes from taking away flavor to adding flavor.
On German-speaking blogs and social media, home cooks are sharing a simple tip: cook potatoes in vegetable stock so they soak up the flavors from the start. The end result is a flavor that is richer and more savory even before you reach for the butter.
What is it about fragrant broth that makes it work so well?
Vegetable broth is just water that has been flavored with herbs, spices, and vegetables. When potatoes cook in this liquid, they get soft and spongy.
Not only do they soak up salt, but they also soak up:
- sweetness from carrots and onions
- Leeks, celery, or celeriac give food an earthy taste.
- Bay leaves, dill, or parsley smell fresh.
- Allspice, garlic, or peppercorns add a little bit of warmth.
Cooking potatoes in broth makes them taste good from the inside out, not just the outside.
This is great for people who want to eat less sodium or cook lighter because it makes them taste better even with less butter and salt.
How to make a basic vegetable broth for potatoes
You can buy stock at the store, but many cooks like to make their own broth quickly so they can control the ingredients and how salty it is.
Basic parts
| Part | The normal amount for 1.5 liters of broth |
|---|---|
| Carrots | 2 medium, cut into slices |
| Onion | 1 big onion, cut in half (skin on for color if washed) |
| Celery or celeriac | Two stalks of celery or a thick slice of celeriac |
| Leek | 1 small piece of leek, well rinsed |
| Garlic | Two cloves of garlic, lightly crushed |
| Herbs that are fresh | A sprig of thyme, a handful of parsley, or dill |
| Seasonings | Five to eight peppercorns and one to two bay leaves |
| Salt | Add slowly until it tastes right. |
Method for making broth step by step
Put the vegetables, herbs, and spices in a pot and fill it with cold water. Let it come to a gentle boil, then turn the heat down and let it simmer for at least 30 to 40 minutes on medium to low heat. The smell gets stronger as it cooks.
Take off any foam that rises to the top, taste it every so often, and add more salt if you think it needs it. You can either strain the broth or leave the vegetables in if you want to add potatoes right away.
The broth should smell good before you add any potatoes to the pan.
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If you buy stock or a cube at the store, make sure to read the label. Avoid those that have a lot of artificial flavors, preservatives, or sodium. You can always add water to concentrated stock to make it less strong and add your own herbs.
How to make potato broth
It’s easy to do, which is one of the things that makes it appealing. It doesn’t change your routine very much; it just changes the liquid you drink.
How to cook potatoes in broth
- Peel the potatoes and rinse them off quickly.
- You can keep them whole for a more traditional look, or you can cut them into quarters or cubes to speed up the cooking process.
- Put the broth you made on the stove and bring it to a low boil.
- Put the potatoes in the liquid so that they are just covered.
- Bring to a boil and cook until soft:
- 25 to 30 minutes for whole medium potatoes
- For chunks or cubes, it takes 15 to 20 minutes.
- Try it with a knife; it should slide in easily with little effort.
You can serve the potatoes straight from the broth with a pat of butter and some herbs, or you can carefully drain them and save some of the liquid for soup or gravy.
The flavor of the potatoes will change each time, depending on the herbs and vegetables you put in the broth.
What to serve with potatoes cooked in broth
Because they are already seasoned and smell good, these potatoes go well with both heavy and light meals.
They taste great with meat dishes like schnitzel, steak, or meatballs, as well as baked or pan-fried fish. Vegetarian and vegan plates also taste good with roasted vegetables, pulses, or plant-based cutlets.
Once they cool down, they make a great base for potato salad because the pieces stay tasty even after being mixed with dressing or mayonnaise. When you mash them up, they also make a great creamier purée because the broth adds flavor before any milk or cream touches the pan.
If you want to roast potatoes in the oven, you can make them taste better by cooking them in broth first. This will add a savory layer under their crispy, browned skin. The next day, you can fry up the leftovers in a pan to make hash-style potatoes that smell like “Sunday lunch.”
A few things to think about when it comes to health, taste, and usefulness
You don’t have to use as many heavy sauces to add flavor to vegetable broth, which is better for your health. You can use less salt because herbs and spices add more flavor than salt alone. Making soup or gravy out of the leftover broth also means that fewer nutrients go to waste.
You should keep an eye on a few things. Stocks and broth cubes that come in packets can be very salty, so be sure to taste them before adding more salt. People who are on strict low-sodium diets should use stock that has been watered down or make their own with very little salt. People who can’t eat some vegetables, like celery, can change the recipe to make it work for them.
If you like to plan ahead, broth-based potatoes are great for making a lot of them at once. Make a big pot of stock on Sunday that isn’t too salty. You can serve them with just butter and dill one day, make a salad out of them the next, and fry them with onions and paprika the third day.
There are two cooking terms that come up a lot in recipes that need to be explained. “Simmering” means keeping the liquid just below boiling, with small bubbles that move slowly. This is great for broth and potatoes because it keeps them from breaking up. “Parboiling” means cooking potatoes halfway through before frying or roasting them. This step adds extra flavor before the final crisping if you do it in broth instead of water.
Many people don’t realize cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage are all versions of the same plant
This one change—using vegetable broth instead of water—makes a common food that many families eat several times a week better without making a big deal out of it. The way you do things stays the same, and the shopping list doesn’t change much, but the plate that comes to the table looks like it was planned out better.
