Melting potatoes is the easiest side dish you’re not making. So, do yourself a favor and toss that bland oven-roasted potatoes recipe out the window. A simple method of slicing thick rounds of potatoes and then smothering them in broth and butter and baking them in the oven yields the most swoon-worthy, luxurious, and tender potatoes you have ever eaten. And it’s as simple as it sounds. Your potato game is about to be transformed for the better, guaranteed.
What Are Melting Potatoes?
Melting potatoes are a simplified form of French fondant potatoes, but don’t be fooled by their simplicity. Even so, melting potatoes serve as a testament to the fact that modest ingredients and simple steps can be used to create some spectacular dishes.
Intense high heat is used to bake thick rounds of potatoes smothered with broth, butter, and herbs, resulting in an unbelievably creamy center with a crispy exterior.
As a French technique of cooking potatoes, fondant potatoes add some, if not a lot, of tips to this show-stopping side dish. As opposed to melting potatoes, fondant potatoes begin by browning in a skillet, then are baked in the oven. Melting potatoes, though, bypasses the skillet step and places the potato rounds directly in the oven. As a result, melting potatoes are considered much easier and quicker to prepare but just as delicious.
Even though these potatoes are a breeze to prepare, there are a few tips to make them near perfect.
Best Potatoes For Melting Potatoes
The majority of melting potatoes recipes use either Yukon gold or russet potatoes. Due to the stellar combination of starch and moisture in Yukon gold potatoes, they’re considered all-purpose spuds in the culinary world. As a result, most dishes prepared with Yukon potatoes remain golden on the outside but have a tender mouthfeel.
Meanwhile, russet potatoes also make excellent melting potatoes. Russets are ideal for baking because of their thick skin and fluffy flesh, resulting in light and airy melting potatoes.
Whether you choose russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes, both produce potatoes with buttery, melt-in-your-mouth centers. You can serve these easy potatoes with just about anything. Melting potatoes can accompany roast chicken, steak, and pork loin, and can also accompany a holiday main course.
See how to give your oven-baked potatoes a glow-up now that you know how simple it is.
Melt-In-Your-Mouth Melting Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 pounds Yukon gold or russet potatoes, about 4 to 5 medium potatoes
- 2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
Instructions
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450°F. Peel and smash four cloves of garlic.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, place 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. In 10 second intervals, microwave the butter, stirring each time, until it is just melted. Stir in two tablespoons of olive oil, one teaspoon of kosher salt, and one half teaspoon of black pepper.
- Remove the skins from two pounds of Yukon gold or russet potatoes if you wish. Remove the rounded ends from the potatoes, then cut them crosswise into 1-inch thick rounds. Chop 2 to 3 rosemary sprig leaves coarsely until you get 1 tablespoon. Toss the potatoes and rosemary in the melted butter until they are well coated.
- Arrange the potatoes cut-side-up in one layer on a rimmed 9×13-inch metal baking pan or sheet (avoid glass as they could shatter). Pour the remaining butter mixture over the potatoes.
- Roast the potatoes for 15 minutes or until they can be easily flipped. Once flipped, roast another 15 minutes until the potatoes are a deep golden brown.
- Carefully remove the potatoes from the oven and pour in one cup of broth and add the garlic cloves. Continue to roast for an additional 15 minutes, or until most of the broth has been absorbed by the potatoes. Enjoy!
