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Have you ever eaten something so soft and tender that it melts in your mouth? This fondant potato recipe creates just that! Slow roasting potatoes in butter and chicken broth makes a tender and creamy potato, full of flavor with a crunchy outside.
Classic Fondant Potatoes
This recipe is perfect for trying out a new way to make potatoes. If you are bored of eating boiled or roasted potatoes every time, this recipe will spice things up!
It uses ingredients that you most likely already have in your pantry. With minimal extra effort, you can take a simple potato and create this new, exciting dish that’s full of rich flavor.
Fondant potatoes take just under an hour to prepare. It is a very straightforward recipe and can cook in the background while you prepare the rest of your meal. Follow the tips in this recipe and they will always come out perfectly done.
Trust me, the little extra effort to make these fondant potatoes is well worth it for their soft, tender inside and delicious taste. You will never want to eat your potatoes any other way after trying these!
Serve these scrumptious fondant potatoes at your next dinner party or gathering of family and friends. They instantly add flavor to any plate and everyone will be begging for the recipe. I mean, who doesn’t like the heavenly combination of butter, garlic, and thyme?
What are fondant potatoes?
Fondant potatoes are a classic French dish made from potatoes. Potatoes are cut into cylinders with flat ends, the ends browned and then cooked in a rich butter and broth sauce. They are called fondant potatoes as fondant in French means ‘melting’.
Fondant potatoes are so soft and tender that the name is very well suited to them. They instantly melt in your mouth with the rich flavors of butter, chicken broth, and thyme complementing many roast meats and grilled vegetables.
Fondant potatoes sprinkled with sea salt
How to make fondant potatoes?
Making fondant potatoes takes very little effort and they are well worth it for their mouthwatering, creamy taste.
First, you need to cut your potatoes into 2-inch rounds so that they have a large surface area for the potatoes to brown.
Then you heat oil in a cast-iron skillet. A cast-iron skillet is recommended for this recipe as it heats up really well and gives the potatoes their crispy crust.
Add the potatoes to the skillet gently to prevent splashing the hot oil.
You cook the potatoes undisturbed for a few minutes to allow that crust to form on the bottom before flipping them over.
Here is where the classic fondant potatoes flavor is added with the butter and thyme added to the skillet. As the butter melts, spoon it over the potatoes to coat them thoroughly.
Now that the potatoes have formed their delicious crust and have absorbed some butter and thyme, it’s time to add the chicken broth.
Fondant Potatoes Cooking in a Cast Iron Skillet
The chicken broth will cook the potatoes until they are soft and tender while in the oven.
They will cook for 30 to 40 minutes in the oven until the potatoes are fully cooked through and soft.
Once they have been removed from the oven, spoon any sauce left in the skillet over the potatoes. This makes sure you get the maximum amount of flavor from your fondant potatoes.
And that’s it! Making fondant potatoes couldn’t be easier and they can easily cook away in the background while you prepare the rest of Sunday roast.
What potatoes are best for this recipe?
You could use just about any potato you like for this recipe and get good results.
For the best results, I used jumbo russet potatoes in this recipe. I find that they are easy to cut into the correct shape and have the perfect texture. Jumbo russets are also preferred as they are easy to cut into uniform pieces.
Baby potatoes won’t work as they are too small to cut into the shape needed to achieve the right texture when finished.
If you have very large potatoes, they might need to be baked for longer in the oven to fully cook through. Adjust cooking time and amount of chicken broth accordingly.
Fondant Potatoes served with roasted pork and maple bacon Brussels sprouts.
What to serve with fondant potatoes?
These French potatoes usually form part of the plate that includes roast meat like chicken, steak or pork and then some grilled or roasted vegetables. This makes it the perfect addition to your Sunday roast or summer cookout.
No need to complicate things with too many side dishes. Some simple grilled vegetables on the side like asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflower will do just fine.
Potatoes crisped in a pan and finished in the oven with their garlic butter flavored insides are also great to serve alongside seafood like salmon or grilled freshwater fish. This rich side dish complements grilled seafood extremely well makes for a very satisfying meal.
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Fondant Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large baking potatoes jumbo russets preferred
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 4 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme use more if thyme stalks are small
- 2 to 4 cloves garlic optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 425°F.
- Peel potatoes, cut off the ends of the potatoes and discard or save for another use.
- Cut each potato into 2 inch thick rounds and place into a bowl of cold water to prevent browning.
- Add the oil to an ovenproof skillet, cast iron preferable, and place over medium-high heat and allow the pan to get hot.
- While the pan is heating up, drain the potatoes and dry with a kitchen towel or paper towels.
- Carefully place the potatoes, cut side down, into the hot skillet and leave undisturbed until the bottoms have turned brown. 4 to 7 minutes depending on the moisture content of the potatoes.
- Flip the potatoes over and add the butter, thyme, and garlic if using.
- When the butter has melted, spoon the butter, oil, and thyme over the potatoes.
- Add enough chicken broth to the pan to cover the bottom 1/4 of the potatoes. You may not use all of the broth depending on pan size.
- Place the skillet into the preheated oven.
- Bake until potatoes are tender, 30 to 40 minutes, larger potatoes like jumbo russets will take a bit longer to cook.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven when tender.
- Place the potatoes onto a serving plate and spoon any remaining liquid over the potatoes and garnish with additional fresh thyme sprigs if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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