Skillet Potatoes With Cajun Blackening Spices and Buttermilk-Herb Sauce Recipe

Morgan Eisenberg
Skillet Potatoes With Cajun Blackening Spices and Buttermilk-Herb Sauce Recipe
*
  • Yield:4 servings
  • Active time:25 minutes
  • Total time:40 minutes
This recipe appears in:
Turn Your Side Dish Into a Main Event With These Spiced Skillet Potatoes

Baby potatoes get sautéed in spices and served with a creamy buttermilk sauce. [Photographs: Morgan Eisenberg]

Potatoes deserve more than to just be a boring side dish. They've got serious star power, and these Cajun-spiced baby potatoes—first boiled until creamy, then crisped in a skillet, and finally topped with a cooling buttermilk-herb dressing—prove it.

Why this recipe works:

  • Boiling and then sautéing the potatoes gives creamy interiors and crisp skins.
  • The blackening spices add layers of smoke and heat.

Note: Because the spices blacken, this recipe can cause things to get smoky. I suggest either making it outside on the grill or making good use of your kitchen exhaust fan and some open windows.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons distilled white or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 medium clove garlic, minced
  • 1 bunch dill, chopped
  • 1 bunch chives, chopped
  • 1/3 cup packed parsley leaves and tender stems, chopped
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 pounds baby waxy potatoes, such as baby red bliss and/or baby Yukon Golds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

Directions

  1. 1.

    In a medium bowl, stir together sour cream, buttermilk, vinegar, garlic, and two-thirds each of the dill, chives, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

  2. 2.

    Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork-tender. Drain and pat dry.

  3. 3.

    In a small bowl, mix the smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

  4. 4.

    Heat butter and canola oil in a medium heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until foaming. Add potatoes to the skillet and cook, stirring, occasionally, until the skins are lightly browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle potatoes with the spice mixture and continue to cook, stirring, until the spices begin to blacken, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with salt, if necessary.

  5. 5.

    Garnish with the remaining chopped herbs and serve warm with the buttermilk-herb sauce.

Morgan Eisenberg
Contributor

Morgan Eisenberg is a creative blogger with an absolute obsession over all things edible. When she’s not coming up with crazy kitchen concoctions, she can typically be found playing Pitch with her family, diving head-first into a new hobby, or sharing a few drinks and a lot of laughs with friends. Check out more of her work at Host the Toast.

Filed Under
Show 4 Comments