Boiled Potatoes with Quark and Herbs (German Pellkartoffeln)

Pellkartoffeln refers to boiled or steamed potatoes with their skins intact. This traditional German dish can be enjoyed on its own or served as an accompaniment to a variety of different dishes. The potatoes are usually scrubbed to remove any impurities and then cooked whole in water seasoned with salt and (sometimes) caraway seeds or bay leaves. Leaving the skin intact allows the potatoes to cook better and retain more of their natural flavour and nutrients. Once done, the potatoes can either be peeled or eaten with their skins intact. The simplest way to enjoy pellkartoffeln is with salt and butter, although another popular way is to accompany them with kräuterquark (quark mixed with fresh herbs).

new potatoes (1 kg)
quark (500 g)
linseed oil (50 mL)
2 Tbsp. caraway seeds
1 bunch parsley
small bunch basil
1 bunch chervil
1 bunch dill
1 bunch chives
2 spring onions
2 Tbsp. butter
kosher or sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Wash potatoes thoroughly and cook unpeeled in plenty of salted water for about 20 minutes. Put the quark with 40 mL linseed oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir until creamy with a whisk for about 2 minutes. Roast caraway seeds in a dry pan, allow to cool and then roughly crush in a mortar.

Pluck the herb leaves from the stems. Put 1/3 of the herb leaves in a bowl of cold water. Finely chop remaining herbs. Cut the chives into fine rolls, clean the spring onions, wash and finely chop. Add chopped herbs, chives, half of the caraway seeds and the spring onions to the quark and season with salt and pepper.

Melt butter in a saucepan. Drain the potatoes, steam for a short time and peel. Drain the leaves of herbs. Arrange the potatoes with the quark and drizzle with the remaining linseed oil. Sprinkle with herb leaves and the remaining caraway seeds. Serve drizzled as desired with the liquid butter.