Need a new veggie side dish? Try this creamy spin on green peas and potatoes

Matt Jenner

Contributing Writer

Everyone is looking for new ways to spruce up vegetables. Grilling, roasting and baking work well, but this delicious spin on peas and potatoes will get the whole family coming back for seconds. Tender baby red potatoes and sweet green peas swim in a savory, creamy sauce in this dish, making it a hit at springtime family gatherings.

Sautéed onions provide a delicious accent to the creamy sauce, and the potatoes and peas absorb the flavors as the dish sits. Milk, half-and-half and pats of butter ensure a silky-smooth, decadent sauce that's almost tasty enough to eat on its own. This dish comes together in less than half an hour. As a bonus, the finished dish will also store in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Cooktop Cove

Creamy green peas and potatoes

5 minutes

20 minutes

25 minutes

1 pound baby red potatoes, quartered

1-1/2 cups green peas, fresh or thawed

1/2 cup water

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup 2% milk

1/2 cup half-and-half

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

In a large saucepan, add the red potatoes, and cover them fully with cold water. Bring them to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium, cover the saucepan, and allow it to simmer until the potatoes are fully cooked and fork-tender, eight to 12 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, follow the same technique for the peas. Bring them to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until they are tender, three to five minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a large pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until they soften and become translucent, about three to five minutes.

Stir in the flour, salt and pepper (to taste), and combine until the flour and butter are fully mixed.

Slowly add the milk and half-and-half, whisking constantly as you pour to prevent lumps in the sauce.

Allow the mixture to cook until small bubbles start to appear along the sides of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it simmer until the sauce is thickened, two to four minutes.

Gently mix the potatoes and peas into the sauce so as not to break up the potatoes, until the vegetables are fully coated in the sauce. Bring the vegetables back up to temperature.

Transfer the dish to a serving bowl, garnish with your favorite fresh chopped herbs, and serve hot.

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