I recently saw a recipe for fingerling potatoes that called for peeling them, then cutting into coins and then mashing in a ricer. Are all those steps necessary?

I don’t personally think so. First off, the skin on most varieties of fingerlings is quite tender, not chewy when boiled. Second, the skin contains a lot of the nutrients. And most importantly, peeling those little fingerlings is a real pain. Plus, that’s an easy way to skin your knuckles. I would boil them whole and just crush them so you retain the nice woodsy flavor of most fingerlings. If you use a ricer, just toss the skin that does not go through the machine.

Much easier, but not as fashionable, is to get a large russet, peel it, cut into chunks, boil and then rice it.

Here is one of the best tasting fingerling recipes I have ever run across: