This two potato sauté recipe appeared in Gourmet’s 1977 Thanksgiving menu, alongside a burnished roast turkey with chestnut and sausage stuffing and cornmeal cakes. (Salted nuts and cream of broccoli soup were offered as starters.) The crucial tool to pull off evenly-sized globes of both sweet and starchy potatoes? A melon baller. This two-in-one potato side dish is simply seasoned with salt and pepper, plus a flurry of minced parsley—but if you really want to get into the ‘70s spirit, be sure to decorate the serving dish with full sprigs of the curly variety.

　　This recipe is a part of our ‘70s-themed vintage Thanksgiving menu.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 6

　　2 pounds large sweet potatoes or yams

　　2 pounds large boiling potatoes, peeled

　　Kosher salt

　　½ cup clarified butter or ¼ cup (½ stick) butter plus ¼ cup oil

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　Minced parsley and sprigs parsley (for serving)

　　

Step 1

In a large saucepan, boil separately 2 pounds each of large sweet potatoes or yams and large boiling potatoes, peeled, in boiling salted water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and peel the sweet potatoes.

　　

Step 2

With a small melon-ball cutter, scoop out balls from the potatoes.

　　

Step 3

In a heavy skillet, sauté the potatoes in ½ cup clarified butter or ½ stick (¼ cup) butter and ¼ cup oil over moderately high heat, shaking the pan, until they are lightly browned.

　　

Step 4

Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper, reduce heat to moderately low, and cook the potatoes, covered, for 20 minutes, or until they are tender.

　　

Step 5

Mound the potatoes on a heated serving dish, sprinkle them with minced parsley, and garnish the dish with sprigs of parsley.