This melting potatoes recipe is one of the easiest, most delicious ways to get a lot of bang for your buck with a quick side dish. The oven does the majority of the work for you, all you have to do is flip them a couple of times. That tiny bit of effort is rewarded with the most perfectly crispy outside, tender and creamy inside, roasted potato dish to ever grace your dinner table.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
You may also be interested in my potato spinach casseroleand mybrown butter fingerling potatoesrecipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my potato recipes in one place.
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Why you should make this recipe
Calling all potato lovers! This recipe is perfect for those who love crispy potatoes that are packed with flavor, garlicky and super easy.
- Easy – This recipe requires minimal effort. Toss the potatoes and give them a few flips on the baking sheet. It really couldn’t be easier.
- Scalable – Having a big gathering at your house, like a holiday or celebration? You can scale this melting potatoes recipe up to suit your needs, no matter how many guests you are serving.
- Gluten-free – Potatoes are naturally gluten-free.
Best melting potatoes recipe
This recipe is easy, mostly hands off, full of nutrients and naturally gluten-free. And, the herbs and garlic give the potatoes a ton of flavor.
Melting potatoes go with everything. From a fancy holiday dinner to a side for burgers, they are always perfect.
These potatoes melt in your mouth. I prefer Yukon Golds for this recipe because of their creamy texture. When baked, the inside is soft and tender, while the exterior of the potatoes are as crunchy as the caramel on top of a crème brûlée.
Ingredients
- Yukon Gold potatoes – This is my go-to potato for this recipe. You can also use Russets, if you prefer.
- Unsalted butter – Unsalted butter lets you control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Oil – I use grapeseed oil as my neutral oil, but canola and vegetable oil are also good options.
- Chicken or vegetable broth/stock – I like chicken stock, as it has more body, but use whatever you prefer.
- Garlic – Use as much or as little as you like. I like A LOT.
- Salt and pepper – Everything needs to be seasoned.
- Fresh and/or dried herbs – I love fresh herbs, I think they add a freshness to dishes and give them a little “lift”. Use what you like.
Seriously the BEST potatoes I’ve ever had!! They are a weekly staple in our house!
– Reader Liz
How to make
Here’s a quick summary of how to make melting potatoes. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
As with every recipe, read all the way through it before you begin. Make sure you have your ingredients and equipment ready to go. This recipe isn’t difficult at all, but you don’t want to discover after having the potatoes in the oven for 30 minutes that you forgot the chicken broth.
- First, whisk together the melted butter, oil, herbs, salt and pepper.
- Next, add the sliced and peeled potatoes, and toss to combine.
- Place the potatoes on an unlined metal baking sheet.
- Roast at high temp, flipping over to crisp both sides before adding stock.
Melting potatoes recipe FAQ’s
What are melting potatoes?
Melting potatoes are an easier version of a French dish called fondant potatoes. It’s the same basic concept, except all of the cooking is done in the oven – versus stovetop, then oven.
Can I make these in advance?
You can, however, you’ll likely lose the crispy outside. Think about re-heating French fries – they are never quite as crispy as when they were freshly cooked.
How long will they last?
If properly stored in an airtight container in the fridge, the leftover potatoes will last about a week.
Chef’s Notes
I usually put these at the end, but I really wanted to make sure you saw this. Before we get to the recipe, let me suggest two pieces of equipment for this: A heavy sheet pan and a fish spatula.
Why? I know I’m not the only person who has thatone sheet pan that always warps in a hot oven making a loud pop and scaring all the neighborhood dogs. I highly recommend a heavier, sturdier (commercial) sheet pan for this because the oven is going to be VERY hot.
Next, the fish spatula. But, it’s for fish, right? Well, it is for everything actually. It is one of the best kitchen tools you’ll ever own and you’ll wonder why you never bought one before. What makes this thing so magical? It’s thin and flexible, which means you can get under those potatoes to turn them without leaving the crispy bottom stuck to the sheet pan.
Variations and substitutions
- Make it vegan – Swap out butter for oil or use a non-dairy butter alternative.
- Use these potatoes as a base for my vegetarian poutine recipe instead of fries.
Serving suggestions
This melting potatoes recipe is perfect for Sunday dinners, holiday dinners or even weeknights. It is honestly one of my favorite ways to have potatoes and I hope it’ll be one of your favorites, too.
You can pair this with everything from a beef tenderloin or a pork loin roast, to roast chicken or burgers.
Helpful tools and equipment
- Sheet pan – Heavy duty sheet pans that don’t warp in the oven.
- Flexible spatula – This is the one I own. It is a bit pricier than the one I linked to above, but it has lasted me over 20 years in professional kitchens.
- Medium sized mixing bowl
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Yield: 6 servings
Melting potatoes recipe
This melting potatoes recipe is one of the easiest, most delicious ways to prepare potatoes. Perfect for your holiday table, but easy enough for weeknight supper.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds Yukon Gold Idaho Potatoes, peeled
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (canola, vegetable, grapeseed)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or 1 1/2 tsp. dried)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon salt (I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, if you use Morton's salt or table salt, reduce amount to 1 1/2 tsp.)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup vegetable broth, or chicken broth
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed (or more if you really like garlic!)
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped (optional)
- ¼ cup scallions, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500°F (475°F for convection).
- In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, oil, rosemary, dried thyme, salt and pepper.
- Slice potatoes into 3/4" - 1" (about 2cm) rounds and toss in butter mixture. Lay potatoes on a metal baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 15 - 20 minutes.
- Flip over, using a flexible (fish) spatula and return to oven for another 15 minutes.
- Flip over again, then carefully pour broth onto sheet pan and add smashed garlic, making sure to coat the garlic in the butter/stock mixture.
- Roast for an additional 10 – 15 minutes to get the tops super crispy. Most of the stock should be absorbed. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, if desired, and drizzle with remaining stock from the pan.
Notes
To make the recipe vegan, use non-dairy butter.
*When adding the stock to the pan, carefully pour away from your body, the pan will be very hot and it will sizzle a bit.
Rosemary is a hearty herb and can withstand high heat, so you can use fresh rosemary or dried. Thyme is a delicate herb and will burn under high high, so dried is best.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 305Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 1349mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 5gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information calculated by a third-party company as a courtesy. It is intended as a guideline only.
Did you make this recipe?
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Originally published 9/24/19.
