This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe is, in Dorie Greenspan’s own words, an intriguing twist on a dependable dish. The dish? Broth-Braised Potatoes, in other words, a twist on boiled potatoes.

First, broth is simmered with some flavor boosters: lemon zest, garlic, bay leaf and a few sprigs of thyme. I used some homemade turkey broth from the freezer, and, miraculously, sprigs of thyme I found in my herb garden, sheltered under some leaves. (The rosemary was finally killed by cold weather.) The potatoes were added to the pot, and simmered until tender, about 20 minutes for me.

I had half a dozen small, but not baby, red potatoes, so I made half a recipe. To emulate the look of fingerling potatoes, I cut the potatoes into quarters lengthwise before cooking them. Then, because the liquid didn’t cover all the potatoes, I wasn’t sure that I should have halved the broth after all. However, the recipe is called braised, not boiled potatoes, and at all worked out in the end.

Simple in execution, surprisingly interesting in flavor, I can see these potatoes taking a place in the “simple side dish” repertoire at my house as an alternative to steamed potatoes drizzled with olive oil.

To see what the other FFwD bloggers did with their potatoes, check out their links here. The recipe can be found in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.

Happy French Friday!