Melting butter potatoes

Melting Potatoes are an easy, foolproof, game changing side dish – once you try them, you’ll never go back!

These Melting Potatoes are one of the most delicious sides on the planet.  They are caramelized on the outside, luxuriously creamy, melt-in your mouth on the inside, and bursting with buttery, garlic herb goodness through and through.  Best of all, this recipe is easy to make with pantry friendly ingredients with only one bowl to wash! These Melting Potatoes are the ideal side for every occasion from a casual family dinner to special occasions to holidays, like upcoming EASTER!  Serve them alongside anything from creamy garlic chicken to pork tenderloin, to French Dips for a dynamite dinner that will please even the pickiest eaters.

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Melting Potatoes Recipe

Meet your new favorite potato side dish.   

Potatoes are one of life’s foodie delights and one of my absolute favorite foods.  From these Melting Potatoes to Company Mashed Potatoes, Au Gratin Potatoes, Garlic Smashed Potatoes and Roasted Pesto Potatoes,  they prove time and again that potatoes + butter + salt = addicting magic. 

But of all the ways to dish up potatoes, these Melting Butter Potatoes tie with my Garlic Mashed Potatoes for my all-time favorite. They are delicious enough for  Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, upcoming St. Patrick’s Day and every day in between!

What are Melting Potatoes?

Melting Potatoes are creamy, caramelized coins that literally melt in your mouth. They are a streamlined version of fondant potatoes, a classic French technique of browning thick rounds of potatoes in butter on the stovetop, then finishing them in the oven with stock and butter. 

In easier Melting Potatoes, all the magic happens in the oven in a three step process. First, the potatoes are sliced into thick rounds then tossed with butter and seasonings.  Next, the discs are lined on a metal baking sheet and roasted at high heat in the oven to lock in the moisture.  As the flat surfaces enjoy constant contact with the hot pan, the potatoes caramelize into a rich, dark amber.  

Finally, the potatoes are soaked in a garlic studded broth and returned to the oven to finish cooking, so they’re sort of roasting and steaming at the same time. As the potatoes soak up the broth, they lock in both moisture and flavor while the heat delivers the last blow to their internal structure to create an incredibly soft, satiny, buttery interior that literally melts in your mouth AKA Melting Potatoes.

What are the best kind of potatoes to use?

Yukon Gold Potatoes are best for making Melting Potatoes.  They retain their shape well at high heat thanks to their firm flesh that’s less starchy than Russet’s but not as waxy as red.  They always emerge soft, buttery and melt-in-your-mouth tender without ever tasting mealy, unlike Russet potatoes that can fall apart.

Yukon Gold Potatoes can be called gold potatoes, yellow potatoes, or butter potatoes.  Try and select potatoes of similar width, but the length doesn’t matter because you will be slicing them.  

Do I have to peel the potatoes?

Yukon Gold Potatoes have thin, smooth skin, so they don’t have to be peeled.  That being said, I prefer to remove the skin for extra caramelized, silky potatoes.

Ingredients to make Melting Potatoes

The ingredients in this recipe are very straightforward. In addition to Yukon Gold potatoes, you will need: 

• Chicken broth: Seeps into the potatoes and to make them extra flavorful and tender – but it won’t make them taste like chicken!  Use low sodium broth so we can control the salt.  If you only have salted, reduce the salt in the recipe. 
• Lemon juice:  Is added to the chicken broth to highlight and brighten the herbs but does not make the potatoes taste lemony. If you don’t have lemon juice on hand, just skip it.
• Butter:  The potatoes are tossed in melted butter before being roasted for extra decadent flavor and to drip over the potatoes to aid in caramelization.  Again, use unsalted butter so we can control the salt.
• Garlic:  Fresh garlic is added to the chicken broth and roasts with the potatoes the last 15 minutes.  The recipe calls for 2 garlic cloves but you can use more or less as desired and even substitute with ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
• Herbs:  I used fresh thyme and rosemary because I think they are heavenly with potatoes and stand up to the heat of the oven.  You may also substitute with any dried herbs.
• Seasonings:  In addition to garlic and fresh herbs, the potatoes are seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder and paprika.

is this recipe GLUTEN FREE?

Yes!  If you need a gluten free side for your family or entertaining, look no further than these easy Melting Potatoes!

POSSIBLE melting potatoes RECIPE VARIATIONS

The butter potatoes are a blank canvas when it comes to flavorings – choose your own adventure. Here are just a few ideas:

• Make them lemony:  Replace ¼ cup chicken broth with ¼ cup lemon juice. 
• Swap chicken broth:  Use vegetable broth or beef broth instead.  Be warned that vegetable broth won’t be as flavorful. 
• Use different fresh herbs:  In addition to fresh thyme and rosemary, you may also use sage for roasting, but more delicate herbs such as oregano, chives, marjoram, basil etc., can’t withstand long oven cooking time and will either burn or lose their flavor.  Instead, add delicate fresh herbs at the end of roasting.
• Use different seasonings: Try swapping the seasonings for any of your favorite seasoning blends such as Cajun seasoning, ranch seasoning, Montreal seasoning, Italian seasoning, etc. or adding spices like chili powder, cayenne pepper, etc.
• Add dressing:  Try tossing the potatoes in your favorite dressing like Italian, lemon vinaigrette or even pesto at the end of cooking.
• Add melting cheese:  Sprinkle the potatoes with freshly grated Parmesan, mozzarella, Gouda, Gruyere, cheddar etc. the last 5 minutes or so of baking. 
• Add cheese to garnish: Sprinkle the Melting Potatoes with goat cheese, feta cheese or gorgonzola cheese after roasting.
• Add bacon:  Toss with crispy crumbled bacon before serving.
• Combine variations:  For example, toss the potatoes in ranch seasoning, melt with Gouda and top with bacon.
• Dairy-free: Swap the butter for dairy-free butter or oils like coconut oil or olive oil.
• Serve with sauce:  The butter potatoes don’t need a sauce because they’re stand-alone fabulous, but you can instantly change their flavor profile with one.  Try dipping them in ranch, pesto, roasted red pepper sauce, horseradish sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup, chimichurri, etc.  

How to make Melting Potatoes

Are you ready to see just how easy these magical, melting morsels are to make?  Roasting the butter potatoes at high heat ensures they get nice and caramelized on the outside, then finishing with broth allows the potatoes to absorb the liquid, making the insides extra moist and tender.  

Let’s take a closer look at making Melting Potatoes with step-by-step photos (full ingredient measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post):

• Step 1:  Slice the potatoes:  Square the ends of the potatoes in order to make the potatoes a more uniform thickness, then slice the potatoes into 1-inch-thick rounds. Discard the ends.

• Step 2:  Season the potatoes:  Whisk the butter, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, paprika and onion powder together in a large bowl.  Add the potato slices and toss until evenly coated. Line the potatoes in a single layer on a greased, foil-lined baking sheet for easy cleanup. Double check that the bottom of the potatoes are coated in the butter herb mixture before placing on the baking sheet. Spoon any extra butter herb sauce over top the potatoes.

Step 3:  Roast and flip:  Roast the potatoes for 20 minutes.  Flip the potatoes over and roast for an additional 15 minutes.

Step 4:  Add the chicken broth:  While the potatoes are roasting, mix together the chicken broth, lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl/liquid measuring cup.  Remove the potatoes from oven, flip one more time and pour the chicken broth mixture over potatoes.

Step 5:  Finish roasting.  Roast for another 15 minutes or until the potatoes are super tender. Transfer the potatoes to a serving platter and drizzle with pan sauce. Dig in!

Tips for fool proof melting potatoes

This Melting Potatoes recipe is easy to make and will turn out perfectly every time as long as you follow these easy tips:

• Use similar sized potatoes.  When selecting the potatoes, hand-pick them as opposed to grabbing a bag so you can select potatoes of similar width so they cook in the same amount of time.
• Slice potatoes uniformly.  I suggest breaking out your ruler so the potato slices can be pretty similar, they doesn’t have to be perfect, but close.  Also, make sure you are measuring a full 1-inch – it may be thicker than you think.  We need extra thick potato slices so they have time to caramelize fully before the insides are done. 
• Square the potatoes.  This simply means slicing off the tapering ends so the slices can be of uniform width.  
• Don’t use delicate fresh herbs.  Only roast the potatoes with woody herbs such as rosemary, sage or thyme.  More delicate herbs can burn at high temperature or wilt and become flavorless. You can, however, use any dried herbs you like.
• Evenly coat the potatoes in herb butter.  Make sure both the tops and the bottoms of the potatoes are coated as you place them on the pan – otherwise one side will have more color than the other.
• Use a baking sheet so you don’t crowd the potatoes.  A regular half sheet rimmed baking sheet (13X18) works beautifully for this recipe.  It’s large enough to space out the potatoes so they can caramelize into a beautiful amber color before adding the broth.  If you crowd them into a pan, they will steam instead.
• Be flexible with the roasting times.  If your potatoes are especially wide or especially small, adjust the baking times.  For smaller potatoes, roast for closer to 15 minutes on each side. 
• Bake until melt-in-your-mouth tender.  That’s the goal! If the potatoes aren’t creamy, velvety soft inside, then bake for an extra 5-10 minutes.

Can you double this recipe to serve a larger group?

Yes, you can double or even triple this recipe if needed, but you’ll need more than one baking sheet.  The key is to not overcrowd the potatoes so they have plenty of room to caramelize before adding the chicken broth. 

Can melting potatoes be made ahead?

• Make ahead: Yes! This Melting Potatoes recipe reheats beautifully, but the potatoes will be 100% creamy with a less pronounced caramelized crust – still delicious though!
• Prep ahead: Slice the potatoes and store them submerged in cold water in the refrigeration for up to 24 hours to prevent oxidation which turns them brown.  You can also chop the herbs ahead of time. 
• Partially make ahead: I have not personally tried this method, but I think you could roast the potatoes through the first 35 minutes (two flips), cool, cover and refrigerate.  This would prevent the potatoes from turning brown and lessen your prep time.  When ready to serve, bake the potatoes for 10 minutes to warm up then add the chicken broth and garlic and continue to roast for 15 minutes or until tender.

HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS

Store leftover Melting Potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.  Reheat per methods below.  

HOW TO REHEAT melting potatoes

Melting Potatoes reheat beautifully in the microwave, but they won’t be as crispy. I still find them delightfully satisfying though. The oven is your best option to retain the caramelized crust.

• Microwave:  The time will vary depending on how many potatoes you are reheating.  For just a few, start with 20-25 seconds, then add additional time as needed.  
• Oven: Line the butter potatoes on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes OR until heated through.

CAN I FREEZE melting POTATOES?

No, I don’t recommend freezing this recipe because the butter potatoes will become an unpleasant mealy texture.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH melting POTATOES?

These Melting Butter Potatoes go with EVERYTHING!

• Beef: They are fantastic with honey balsamic beef, London broil, marinated flank steak, bacon wrapped filet mignon, beef brisket, spice rubbed steaks with herb butter, steak with balsamic herb cream sauce etc.
• Seafood: We love them with lemon garlic salmon, piccata salmon and asparagus, mahi mahi in lemon garlic cream sauce and lemon Dijon salmon.
• Shrimp:  Roaasted lemon garlic butter shrimp is a popular favorite along with bacon wrapped shrimp, jerk shrimp and lemon garlic shrimp.
• Pork:  Garlic butter pork tenderloin (one of the most popular recipes on my site!), balsamic pork tenderloin, crockpot citrus honey pork loin, Cajun pork tenderloin and blackberry hoisin pork tenderloin.
• Chicken:  French onion chicken, lemon pepper chicken, balsamic chicken, oven fried chicken, and so much more!
• Sandwiches:  French dip sandwiches, Philly cheesesteaks, Italian beef sandwiches, BBQ beef brisket sandwiches, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, Cuban sandwiches, Reuben sandwiches, etc.
• Holiday Food! Garlic butter beef tenderloin, herb butter turkey, brown sugar glazed ham, honey baked ham, baked ham with cider maple glaze, etc.

LOOKING FOR MORE POTATO side dish RECIPES?

• Twice Baked Potatoes
• Roasted Pesto Bacon Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
• Herb Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
• Gruyere and Ham Potato Stacks
• Roasted Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
• Baked Parmesan Fingerling Potato Fries