These Fondant Potatoes (aka melting potatoes) are absolutely out of this world delicious! They’re definitely a special occasion type of recipe, but 100% worth the effort. They're seared and then baked until perfectly golden and tender.
Fondant potatoes originated in France – pommes fondant – which translates to "melting potatoes". They have crispy, golden brown edges and a super soft, fluffy interior that gets lots of flavor from the butter, stock, garlic and herbs.
These look like a fancy restaurant side dish, but they're actually pretty easy to make at home! This is a great special occasion recipe for date night at home, Valentine's Day or the holidays.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Awesome side dish: These fondant potatoes are a really special way to cook potatoes. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, these are perfect for special occasions.
- Surprisingly easy: Fondant potatoes look fancy, but they're actually pretty easy to make!
- Customizable shape: You can cut them into whatever shape you want with a cookie cutter. Think stars for the 4th of July or Hearts for Valentine's Day!
Ingredients and Notes
Here's what you'll need to make these fondant potatoes:
- Potatoes: We used Yukon gold potatoes in this recipe, which have a great blend of flavor, texture, and color. You could also try using russet potatoes.
- High heat oil: Be sure to use a high-heat oil like avocado, safflower, or peanut oil to prevent smoking in the oven or while searing.
- Rosemary and thyme: Be sure to use fresh herbs for the best flavor.
- Vegetable stock: You can also use chicken or beef stock in this recipe.
Step-by-step Instructions
PREP: Preheat oven to 425˚F.
STEP 1: Slice potatoes into 1” thick rounds. Use a small cookie cutter to cut into evenly-sized cylinders. (This is to help the potatoes cook at an even rate. We use the leftover potato scraps to make a breakfast hash the next day, or mashed potatoes!)
STEP 2: Place the potatoes in a bowl of cold water and soak for 15 minutes, then pat completely dry.
STEP 3: Meanwhile, heat avocado oil in a stainless steel 10” fry pan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium just before adding in the potatoes. Add in the potatoes and sear for 3-5 minutes on one side, until golden brown and crispy. Season with salt.
STEP 4: Flip the potatoes over, season with salt and sear for another 3-5 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Using tongs and a paper towel, soak up as much of the frying oil as possible (turn off the heat for this step).
STEP 5: Return to medium heat and add in butter, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Heat the butter until foamy and hot, but do not brown it. Baste the potatoes with butter. Pour in vegetable stock, remove from stovetop and place in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until completely tender on the interior. Enjoy!
Heart Shaped Fondant Potatoes
If you want to make your potatoes, heart shaped, you just have to use a heart-shaped cookie cutter when cutting your potatoes!
These are the perfect side dish for Valentine's Day!
Tips and FAQs
- Uses for the leftover potatoes: Save your potato trimmings and make:
- Mashed potatoes
- Roasted potatoes
- Breakfast hash
- Crispy potato tacos
- After adding the broth, get your potatoes in the oven immediately to prevent them from becoming soggy on the bottom. The broth should be mostly evaporated when they're done.
- Use a good stainless steel pan to prevent sticking. Since stainless steel is oven safe, it's the perfect choice for these fondant potatoes.
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Fondant Potatoes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 potatoes 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Fondant Potatoes (aka melting potatoes) are absolutely out of this world delicious! They’re definitely a special occasion type of recipe, but 100% worth the effort. They're seared and then baked until perfectly golden and tender.
Ingredients
- 4-5 large Yukon gold potatoes, sliced into 1” rounds
- Avocado oil (or another high heat oil)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4-6 tablespoon butter (regular or vegan)
- 8-10 cloves garlic
- 4-5 sprigs each of rosemary and thyme
- 1 cup vegetable stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚F.
- Slice potatoes into 1” thick rounds. Use a small cookie cutter to cut into evenly-sized cylinders. (This is to help the potatoes cook at an even rate. We use the leftover potato scraps to make a breakfast hash the next day, or mashed potatoes!)
- Place the potatoes in a bowl of cold water and soak for 15 minutes, then pat completely dry.
- Meanwhile, heat avocado oil in a stainless steel 10” fry pan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium just before adding in the potatoes. Add in the potatoes and sear for 3-5 minutes on one side, until golden brown and crispy. Season with salt.
- Flip the potatoes over, season with salt and sear for another 3-5 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Using tongs and a paper towel, soak up as much of the frying oil as possible (turn off the heat for this step).
- Return to medium heat and add in butter, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Heat the butter until foamy and hot, but do not brown it. Baste the potatoes with butter. Pour in vegetable stock, remove from stovetop and place in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until completely tender on the interior. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Stovetop/Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 potatoes
- Calories: 430
- Sugar: 3.6 g
- Sodium: 752.3 mg
- Fat: 15.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 67.5 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 8.1 g
Teresa-Ann Stanley says
I made the heart shaped version to accompany our Valentine's dinner. It was amazing!
Tartar says
Sorry I'm a little confused. What does "using Tongs and Paper towel, soak up as much of the oil as possible" mean?
Thank you to anyone that can answer this for me. I work in emergency placement housing for young children coming into govt residential care, and I'd love to make this for them. Looks affordable and I have been trying to find some special things to prepare Valentine's week to make their day a little nicer for them. Thank you again
Lexi says
You just need to soak up the oil with paper towel before adding in the butter. The tongs are the easiest way to do it so you don't burn yourself accidentally!
Kay says
You use tongs with paper towels to wipe out the skillet to get out as much of the oil out of the skillet before adding the butter.
Abi says
Really good, didn't get them in the oven fast enough so mine where soft on the bottom but still tasted great