I serve these roasted fingerling potatoes as an appetizer and as a side. They are super flavorful, and I love the potato dipping sauce. It’s inspired by the sauce we use when making potato salad (trust me, it’s incredible!). I cannot wait for you to try these crispy fingerling potatoes! For more potato recipes, see our basic roasted potatoes, these roasted sweet potatoes, and our crispy smashed potatoes with bacon.
Key Ingredients
Fingerling Potatoes: I love these thin-skinned potatoes. They taste rich, nutty, and buttery, and since they are a bit more starchy than other potatoes, they hold up really well when roasted. There are several varieties of fingerling potatoes, including Russian Banana, French, La Ratte, and Purple Peruvian. Colors can range from yellow to intense purple/blue. Use any variety or combination in our recipe. Garlic: Since I’m already roasting the potatoes, I love roasting a few garlic cloves alongside them. Then, I stir the roasted garlic into our dipping sauce. Smoked Paprika and Apple Cider Vinegar: To make the most flavorful potatoes, I roast them with salt, pepper, and oil. Then, right as they come out of the oven, I toss them with smoked paprika and apple cider vinegar. Try it. It’s a game-changer! Dipping Sauce: Roasted fingerling potatoes are already delicious, but I love serving them with a dipping sauce (their long shape makes them perfect for serving as an appetizer). Homemade garlic aioli is a good option, or use my potato salad inspired dipping sauce (it’s so good). I make it with sour cream, mayo, apple cider vinegar, dill pickles, dill, and a hard-boiled egg.
How to Make Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
You can roast fingerling potatoes whole, but I love extra crispy roasted potatoes, so I cut them in half lengthwise. This allows me to get the cut side of the potatoes crisp and golden brown. I toss my potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper and then place them, cut side down, onto a baking sheet or into a wide oven-safe skillet. In our photos, we’ve used our 12-inch cast iron pan for roasting the potatoes. Our cast-iron pan is a workhorse in our kitchen, but you can always use a baking sheet for these potatoes if that’s all you have. You’ll roast the potatoes until tender and golden brown. I hold back on tossing the potatoes during roasting since I love getting that golden brown crust on the cut side of each potato. Then, toss the roasted potatoes with vinegar and smoked paprika as they come out of the oven. When the potatoes are still hot from the oven, they absorb flavor like crazy. The vinegar and paprika transform pretty good potatoes into outrageously tasty potatoes. Trust me! The potatoes are delicious served as-is, but when feeling feisty, I make our delicious potato salad dipping sauce. We’ve had our potato salad recipe on Inspired Taste for a long time. We never considered using the dressing as a dipping sauce until we were in Seattle for Happy Hour and ordered an appetizer of fingerling potatoes. When they came out, they were next to a creamy dipping sauce resembling the sauce we use to make potato salad. It was mayo-based with herbs, pickles, and eggs. I know it sounds simple, but holy moly, it was genius (and delicious). And that’s how this potato dipping sauce was born! 2 to 3 small unpeeled garlic cloves, optional 2 tablespoons avocado oil or vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, or more to taste Flaky sea salt for serving 1/4 (56g) cup sour cream 1 teaspoon Dijon or yellow mustard 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1/2 medium dill pickle, see homemade dill pickles 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill 1 large hard-boiled egg, chopped small, optional 2In a large bowl, toss the halved potatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves (optional) with the oil, salt, and pepper. 3When the oven is hot, and the potatoes are well tossed, carefully add them to the cast iron pan, then use kitchen tongs to arrange them into one layer with all cut sides facing down. If you run out of space, it’s okay if a few potatoes pile up the sides or on top of each other. 4Roast the potatoes for 15 minutes, and then check for browning. If the potatoes have not yet turned a golden brown on the bottom, place them back into the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes. When the potatoes are mostly golden brown on the cut side, stir them around the pan, moving any potatoes that have no color on them into the middle of the pan (where it is hottest), and then continue to roast until the potatoes are fork tender and golden brown (watch our video for reference). 5While the potatoes roast, make the dipping sauce. In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, 1 tablespoon vinegar, minced pickles, dill, egg, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Taste and adjust with more vinegar, salt, and/or pepper. For an extra smoky kick, stir in a pinch of smoked paprika. 6If you roasted garlic cloves alongside the potatoes, when the potatoes are finished, and the garlic cloves are cool enough to handle, squeeze the soft roasted garlic out of the peel and mince with a knife. Stir the minced roasted garlic into the sauce. 7To finish the potatoes, when roasted and while still hot in the oven, toss them with the vinegar and smoked paprika. Taste, then adjust with additional vinegar and paprika. Finish with a little flaky salt sprinkled on top.
