Buttered Potatoes (Easy) - Carlsbad Cravings

Name: Butter potatoes Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Ingredients: 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, (peeled); 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, (melted); 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme ((or 1 tsp dried)); 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary ((or 1 tsp dried)); 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 tsp EACH pepper, onion powder, paprika; 1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth; 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice ((optional if you have it)); 2 cloves garlic, (minced)

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 Video

a bowl of melting butter potatoes garnished by fresh thyme

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

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!

Reasons You’ll love this Butter Potatoes Recipe

It requires little effort for extraordinary results. The potatoes are sliced into thick rounds, tossed in butter and seasonings, blasted with high heat in the oven while you prep the rest of your meal then bathed in garlic broth. That’s it for potato perfection.
The Melting Potatoes are BEYOND creamy with a caramelized crust. Roasting the butter potatoes first at high heat creates a deeply golden crust, then finishing them with a little broth creates velvety, melt-in-your-mouth luxurious insides as they bath and soak in the liquid.
It’s easy to make with just a few pantry ingredients. Keep some potatoes stocked and you can make this recipe any time! Because you are going to want to stuff your face with butter potatoes ALL THE TIME. All you need is potatoes, butter, chicken broth and seasonings.
It goes with practically everything. The Melting Potatoes can be dressed up or down to go with anything and everything whether it’s lemon garlic salmon, crockpot pork loin, grilled chicken or Reubens.
It will steal the show no matter what it’s served with, you won’t be able to keep your hands off! These butter potatoes will become the most requested, repeat side, favorite side, disappear-in-a-flash side, a please make more side, a I must have the recipe side!

up close of melting potatoes recipe showing how caramelized the potatoes are

Buttered Potatoes Ingredients

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.

a spatula scooping up a melting butter potato showing how tender it is

What are the best potatoes for Melting Potatoes?

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.

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!

Melting Potatoes Recipe variations to try

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 this Butter Potatoes Recipe

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.

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. 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.

showing how to make melting potatoes recipe by slicing peeled Yukon gold potatoes into 1 inch slices

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.

a collage showing how to make melting potatoes recipe by mixing melting butter, thyme, rosemary, paprika, salt and pepper in a bowl then adding potatoes and lining on a baking sheet

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

a collage showing how to make melting potatoes by roasting butter potatoes for 20 minutes then flipping over

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.

a collage showing how to make melting potatoes by flipping butter potatoes then adding chicken broth

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!

a baking sheet full of melting butter potatoes with chicken broth

Buttered Potatoes foolproof tips

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.
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.

Doubling Melting Potatoes Recipe

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.

Making Buttered Potatoes ahead of time

•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.

showing how to make melting potatoes recipe by drizzling potatoes with chicken broth

Butter Potatoes Recipe storage, freezing and reheating

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.

Freezing buttered Potatoes is not recommended

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

WHAT TO SERVE WITH Buttered 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.

Buttered Potatoes FAQs

What is a melting potato?

A melting potato, also known as “meltingly tender potatoes” or “melting potatoes,” refers to a specific cooking method for preparing potatoes. The process involves roasting or pan-frying potato slices in a mixture of butter and oil along with various seasonings until they develop a golden and crispy exterior, then broth is added and soaked up by the potatoes while they become creamy, almost “melting” texture on the inside, hence the name. Melting potatoes are often seasoned with herbs, garlic, and other flavorings.

Is a Yukon Gold potato the same as a yellow potato?

Yukon Gold potatoes are a type of yellow potato, but not all yellow potatoes are necessarily Yukon Gold. Yukon Gold is a specific cultivar of yellow-fleshed potatoes, known for its distinctive and creamy texture, golden-yellow skin, and rich flavor. Yellow potatoes, on the other hand, is a broader category that encompasses various potato types with yellow flesh.
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While Yukon Gold is one of the most well-known and popular yellow potato varieties, there are other yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yellow Finn, Yellow Fingerling, and German Butterball, each with its own unique flavor, texture, and culinary applications.

Which potatoes have the best flavor?

The “best” potato flavor is subjective and can vary depending on personal preferences and culinary uses. However, some potato varieties are renowned for their unique and appealing flavors. I’ve included a list of delicious potatoes that would also work in this recipe, adjusting the cooking time as needed:
1. Yukon Gold: Yukon Gold potatoes are known for their buttery, creamy, and slightly sweet flavor. They are versatile and excellent for mashing, roasting, or making gratins.
2. Russian Banana (Fingerling): These small, elongated potatoes have a nutty, earthy flavor with a waxy texture. They’re great for roasting and boiling.
3. Purple Peruvian: These vibrant purple potatoes have a mildly sweet and nutty flavor. They’re ideal for roasting, mashing, or using in salads.
4. All-Blue: As the name suggests, these potatoes are blue throughout, and they offer a mildly nutty flavor. They’re excellent for roasting, steaming, or making colorful potato salads.
5. Red Bliss: Red Bliss potatoes have a slightly sweet and waxy texture, making them great for potato salads and roasting.

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

a slice of melted butter potatoes cut in half showing how tender and creamy the potatoes are

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Butter potatoes Recipe

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.

Servings: -6 servings (about 20 slices)

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 55

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Ingredients

3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp EACH pepper, onion powder, paprika
1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice (optional if you have it)
2 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet (13×18) with foil for easy cleanup, set aside.
Square the ends of the potatoes (discard ends) and slice the potatoes into 1-inch-thick rounds; set aside.
In a large bowl (large enough to hold potatoes), whisk together butter, thyme, rosemary and all seasonings. Add the potato slices to the butter mixture and toss until evenly coated. Line the potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, making sure both sides are evenly coated. Spoon any extra butter herb sauce over top the potatoes.
Roast the potatoes for 20 minutes.
Flip the potatoes over and roast for an additional 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, 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. Roast for another 15 minutes or until the potatoes are super tender. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes to soak up additional broth.
Transfer the potatoes to a serving platter and drizzle with pan sauce. Garnish with additional fresh herbs if desired. Serve with horseradish sauce, pesto, ranch or red pepper sauce if desired.

Video

Notes

HOW TO STORE and reheat

Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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.

make 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.

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10 Comments

Erinn says

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Yummy!!! These are delicious . A perfect way to use up potatoes that are on the verge of spoiling. The fresh squeezed lemon is not optional, in my opinion thanks for sharing!

- Jen says
  
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  Thanks so much for being the first to review this recipe Erinn, I’m so pleased you loved them!
  
Jade says

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I made this recipe and it turned out so good! My nephew DEVOURED THEM! Lol. I wish I could share the pictures I took!

- Jen says
  
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  YAY! I’m so pleased they were a huge hit, thanks so much Jade!
  
Mability says

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Love, love, love these potatoes. They are scrumptous go with every protein and fairly easy to make. Thanks so much for another out of the park dish!

- Jen says
  
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  You’re so welcome Mability, thank YOU for making them and taking the time to comment!
  
Marjorie R Sharick says

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I’m wanting to make these with Cornish hens next Saturday. Should I make them first then reheat after the hens are finished? Or try the partial roasting the potatoes then finished the potatoes after the hens. Thanks

- Jen says
  
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  What a delicious meal! Reheating the potatoes works beautifully but the outsides aren’t as caramelized/crispy, so it depends on how important that is to you. If you partially bake them, I think they will taste brand new. Please let me know how it goes!
  
Susan says

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In England, we called these Fondant Potatoes. We always pan fried the first side, flipped, then added a dollop of butter on top of each one before adding the broth and putting in the oven to finish. They are truly delicious.

- Jen says
  
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  That also sounds absolutely incredible!!