Creamed potatoes and peas is an old-fashioned side dish: tender red potatoes and sweet green peas in a smooth white sauce made with butter, onion, flour and whole milk. The potatoes boil first, the sauce comes together in the same pot, and the frozen peas go in at the end so they stay bright. It serves 6 and takes 40 minutes.
How to make it: Simmer the halved potatoes in salted water until fork-tender. Melt the butter, soften the onion, cook the flour for a minute or two, then stir in the milk and simmer until it thickens. Add the potatoes in bite-sized pieces and the frozen peas, and heat through over low heat.
Why You’ll Love It
- Seven ingredients: potatoes, peas, butter, onion, flour, milk, salt and pepper.
- One pot: the sauce is made in the pot the potatoes cooked in.
- 40 minutes: an easy side for a weeknight or a holiday table.
- Comforting: creamy, mild and good next to ham, pork chops or chicken.
How to Make Old-Fashioned Creamed Potatoes
The whole dish is a simple white sauce poured over boiled potatoes. Here’s how to get each part right:
- Start the potatoes in cold water. Cover them with cold water, add a pinch of salt and bring them to a boil. Then simmer until a fork slides in, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cook the onion in the butter. Let it turn soft and translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes, before the flour goes in.
- Cook the flour. Stir it into the butter and onion for 1 to 2 minutes, until it smells toasty, so it doesn’t taste of raw flour.
- Add the milk and simmer. Stir it in and let it bubble gently for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then so the bottom doesn’t burn, until it starts to thicken.
- Add the peas last. Frozen peas go straight into the hot sauce with the potatoes and only need about 5 minutes to heat through.
Common Mistakes With Creamy Potatoes
- A sauce that’s too thin: give it a few more minutes at a gentle simmer.
- A sauce that’s too thick: stir in a splash more milk until it’s the way you like it.
- A scorched bottom: stir the sauce as it simmers.
- Mushy potatoes: stop cooking them as soon as they’re fork-tender, and stir gently once they’re in the sauce.
- Too much salt too soon: taste the sauce before you season it.
Ingredient Notes
Red potatoes: 1 pound, washed and halved. They’re cut into bite-sized pieces after boiling. New potatoes or Yukon golds also work.
Butter and onion: 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of finely chopped white onion.
Flour: 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.
Whole milk: 2 1/2 cups, plus a little extra to thin the sauce if needed.
Frozen peas: 10 ounces, straight from the freezer.
Ingredients
- 1 pound red potatoes, washed and halved
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped
- 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk, plus a little more to thin the sauce if needed
- Salt and black pepper, to taste, plus a pinch of salt for the potato water
- 10 ounces frozen peas
How to Make Creamed Potatoes and Peas
1. Boil the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Cook the onion. In the same pot or a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until translucent and soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Cook the flour. Add the flour and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Make the sauce. Add the milk and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and let it simmer gently until the sauce begins to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the bottom does not burn. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the potatoes and peas. Cut the boiled potatoes into bite-sized pieces and add them to the sauce along with the frozen peas. Stir gently to coat.
6. Finish and serve. Cook on low heat until the peas are heated through and the sauce is as thick as you like, about 5 minutes. If the sauce gets too thick, stir in a little more milk. Serve hot.
Variations
- Nutmeg: a small dash stirred in at the end.
- Fresh peas: use fresh garden peas in place of frozen.
- New potatoes: small new potatoes, peeled or not.
- Yukon gold: in place of red potatoes.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days.
Reheating: Reheat until it reaches 165°F, stirring in a splash of milk to loosen the sauce.
Freezing: Cream sauces don’t freeze well, so this one is best kept in the refrigerator.
What to Serve With It
It’s a classic next to pork chop supreme or chicken and potatoes with Dijon cream sauce, and it belongs on a holiday table beside baked ham.
More potato sides: Southern stewed potatoes, smothered green beans with potatoes, slow cooker glazed herb baby potatoes and garlic herb roasted potatoes, carrots and zucchini.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make old-fashioned creamed potatoes?
Boil the potatoes until tender, make a white sauce from butter, onion, flour and milk, then stir the potatoes into the sauce. Here, frozen peas go in with them.
What are the ingredients in a creamed peas and potatoes recipe?
Red potatoes, frozen peas, butter, onion, all-purpose flour, whole milk, salt and pepper.
How do I fix a sauce that’s too thick or too thin?
Too thick: stir in a little more milk. Too thin: let it simmer a few more minutes.
Do I need to thaw the peas?
No. Add them frozen; they heat through in about 5 minutes.
Can I use fresh peas?
Yes. Fresh garden peas work in place of frozen.
How long do leftovers keep?
3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat to 165°F.
Final Notes
Cook the flour, keep the sauce at a gentle simmer and stir the peas in at the end. If you try it with a dash of nutmeg, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Creamed Potatoes and Peas
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Ingredients
- 1 pound red potatoes washed and halved
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup white onion finely chopped
- 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk plus a little more to thin the sauce if needed
- salt and black pepper to taste, plus a pinch of salt for the potato water
- 10 ounces frozen peas
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In the same pot or a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until translucent and soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the milk and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and let it simmer gently until the sauce begins to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the bottom does not burn. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cut the boiled potatoes into bite-sized pieces and add them to the sauce along with the frozen peas. Stir gently to coat.
- Cook on low heat until the peas are heated through and the sauce is as thick as you like, about 5 minutes. If the sauce gets too thick, stir in a little more milk. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
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