I know myself well enough to understand when any emotion strikes, whether it be celebrating or lamenting, I want to dive deep into some buttery potatoes. Classic white spuds are not a carb of comfort but more like a carb of mental and physical necessity, but sometimes the classic baked spud or mashed potato can get super boring. So when I was this potato cooking method popular in England and France, I knew I came across something special.
Sure, butter, salt, and potatoes aren’t new friends, however, the way they interact in this dish is quite different. The proper name for these potatoes is fondant potatoes, but excuse the fancy knighted title, because these potatoes are far from finicky. Unlike other French recipes like Pommes Anna or duchess potatoes, these potatoes require little prep.
Fondant potatoes, also meaning melting potatoes, do just that, they are melt-in-your-mouth soft, and that’s due to their special cooking-baking method. Essentially these potatoes are cooked the way you cook a good piece of steak: first on the stovetop, then finished in the oven.
After peeling and slicing them into cylindrical shapes, you sear the potatoes, yielding a good, crusty exterior.
Then here comes the good stuff — butter — and a heaping slab of it may I add. I know it looks like a lot, but trust me, these potatoes NEED it. Once the butter dissolves completely, you’ll want to spoon a little bit of butter on top of each one. Follow the butter up with aromatic ingredients like herbs and garlic cloves. Once the garlic becomes fragrant, remove the garlic, add salt and pepper to each potato chunk, and then pour some stock into the pan.
After it stops sizzling, transfer the pan (make sure the pan is oven-proof) into the oven. This process will thoroughly cook the interior of the potatoes without drying them out.
To lighten up the flavors of the potatoes you can garnish the finished fondant potatoes with fresh herbs or some flaked sea salt.
For a start to finish view of this recipe, watch it below!