Tarragon Potatoes

Danny Katz died thirteen years ago this past Saturday. March 8, 2013. I was sixteen and he was sixteen and we'd been best friends since third grade and leukemia didn't care about any of that. Every year on March 8th I go quiet in a way that Megan understands now without me having to explain it. She just leaves a cup of coffee on the table in the morning and doesn't push, and that is one of about forty reasons I married her.

I made pierogi this weekend. Not because it was Danny's anniversary specifically — I mean, partly because of that — but mostly because I'd been thinking about Babcia Helen's recipe cards all week and I wanted to do something with my hands that felt like it mattered. The potato-and-cheese filling, the crimped edges, the butter-fried finish. I've made these enough times now that my hands do most of the work while my brain does whatever it needs to do. This week my brain needed to think about Danny for a while without talking about it. The pierogi let me do that.

I posted a version on RecipeSpinoff, which felt a little strange — like cooking something private in public. But people responded to it, other folks who make their grandmothers' recipes when they're missing someone. That's the thing about food writing: you think you're writing about potato filling and you end up writing about grief, and somehow both things are true at the same time. I touched the #8 tattoo on my wrist a few times while the dough rested. Old habit. Thirteen years and it's still just a habit, and I don't want to stop.

The pierogi dough was resting — those twenty quiet minutes where there’s nothing to do but wait — and I found myself with leftover Yukons on the counter and a bunch of fresh tarragon I’d bought without a plan. These Tarragon Potatoes came out of that in-between space: butter, herbs, salt, heat, and enough repetitive knife work to keep my hands honest while my head finished what it needed to finish. They ended up on the same plate as the pierogi, and they belonged there — gentle and unshowy, the kind of side dish that doesn’t ask anything of you.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, roughly chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Boil the potatoes. Place cubed potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 10–12 minutes, until just fork-tender but not falling apart. Drain well and let steam dry in the colander for 2 minutes.
Build the butter base. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Once the butter is foamy, add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently, until fragrant but not browned.
Pan-finish the potatoes. Add the drained potatoes to the skillet in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes to develop a lightly golden crust on the bottom, then gently toss and cook another 3–4 minutes until evenly golden on most sides.
Add the tarragon. Remove the skillet from heat. Scatter the fresh tarragon over the potatoes and drizzle with lemon juice. Toss gently to coat — the residual heat will bloom the herb without cooking out its brightness.
Taste and serve. Adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately as a side dish alongside pierogi, roasted chicken, or any plate that deserves something simple and honest.

Nutrition (per serving)

Tarragon Potatoes — The Side That Earns Its Place at a Quiet Table