German Style Rosemary Potatoes (Rosmarinkartoffeln)
Olive oil, onions and fresh rosemary make these German Style Rosemary Potatoes some of the best I've ever had! Christmas time in Germany means one thing... Christmas Markets. For the four weeks of Advent, large cities and small villages across Germany (and Europe) all put together some sort of Christmas Market for their communities to...
Olive oil, onions and fresh rosemary make these German Style Rosemary Potatoes some of the best I've ever had!
Christmas time in Germany means one thing... Christmas Markets. For the four weeks of Advent, large cities and small villages across Germany (and Europe) all put together some sort of Christmas Market for their communities to enjoy. My favorite part of the markets...
The Food.
Hands down the food at these markets is unlike anything I've ever had before in my life. Every market is just a little bit different in the food they serve. But, one thing is certain... there will always be potatoes.
Potatoes (or Kartoffeln in Deutsch) are a staple side food or snack in the German culture. The potato was introduced to Germany in 1589 but it didn't become a regular part of the German diet until the 17th century when famine forced people to see potatoes as an important food source. It's said that today Germans eat more than 150lbs of potatoes annually. (Source: German Food Guide)
In this last December, I was in Berlin for the holidays with my best friend Sarah and her family. We probably went to at least 5 different Christmas Markets while we were there with my most favorite being the WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt. It was a smaller market, but it had lots of delicious food and a stage for live music.
The first day we visited the WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt, the band that was performing was playing old school Disney songs and Matty LOVED it. He danced and danced and danced for what seemed like an hour! Here's a little video... too cute!
At this market, I probably had the BEST potatoes I've ever had in Germany. The potatoes were cooked whole and seasoned with fresh rosemary. The stand I ordered the Rosmarinkartoffeln from had the potatoes cooking in a large wok type skillet and just kept pouring on the olive oil and fresh rosemary. I started drooling the moment I saw them and smelled them. These rosemary potatoes were so good, Sarah and I actually went out of our way to go back there a second day just to eat these potatoes again. Sarah ordered hers with a garlic sauce and I had mine with fresh salsa. But really, they were so good just on their own too.
So good that I needed to recreate them at home.
I had made salzkartoffeln or salt potatoes previously, so I had a good idea of how to start and how to prepare the rosemary potatoes the way the Germans at the market had made them. I began with boiling the potatoes in heavily salted water until they were almost done, but still firm in the center.
Then I put them in a skillet with a lot of oil, seasonings, onions and of course... rosemary.
The end product was about 90% as good as the potatoes I had at the Christmas Market. I mean, let's be honest... nothing I make at home will ever be as good as being in Berlin with my best friend eating authentic Rosmarinkarofflen.
Seriously, you should make these. So good.
So good.
Enjoy!
German Style Rosemary Potatoes
Ingredients
- Water
- ¼ cup salt
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1000g small, white or yellow, thin skinned potatoes (about 2.25lbs)
- dried basil
- dried oregano
- dried parsley
- salt/pepper
- 8-9 sprigs rosemary, stem removed & lightly chopped - divided
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and completely cover with water. Put the pot on the stove over high heat and pour in the ¼ cup of salt. Stir until dissolved.
- Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes. You want the potatoes to be about 75-80% cooked and still a bit firm.
- Once the potatoes are ready, strain off the water.
- Heat 2-3 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat.
- Add the onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt/pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium/medium-high.
- Add the potatoes to the pan.
- Liberally drizzle 4-6 tablespoon olive oil over the potatoes. NOTE: It may seem like a lot, but you really want the potatoes coated in oil. The oil will reduce by the time you serve the potatoes.
- Add salt/pepper to taste then sprinkle dried herbs over the top. NOTE: The amount of herbs is up to you... I always just "eyeball" it and go with what feels right.
- Add about ¾ of the lightly chopped rosemary.
- Stir everything together & ensure the potatoes are completely coated in herbs and oil.
- Cook over medium/medium-high heat for about 30 minutes. Stir/toss the potatoes several times while cooking. NOTE: The goal of these 30 minutes is to brown the outsides, reduce the oil, infuse the herbs and complete the cooking of the potatoes. The potatoes will be done when a fork goes through with just a slight bit of firmness left in the potatoes.
- Serve hot garnished with the remaining fresh rosemary.
THESE LOOK SO GOOD!! Like potatoes that melt in your mouth...mmmm
These sound so delicious Betsy! Roasted potatoes are so great to add aromatic herbs to, aren't they? Truly comfort food at its best!
These potatoes look perfect!
I love salt potatoes! They're really popular here, but I had no idea they were German (it makes sense though - there's a lot of German history in the area)
These potatoes look really good - I love potatoes! I definitely need to try these. Pinned!
Really mouthwatering! I will try to cook them.
Please let me know how you like them!
Would these potatoes go with schnitzel?