Best-Ever Melting Potatoes

There are endless ways to cook potatoes, all marvelous in their own right. But if I had to pick just one, it would be these melting potatoes. When sliced into thick rounds, blasted with high heat in the oven, and bathed in butter and broth, humble potatoes become their most luxurious, tender selves — with very little effort from you.

These potatoes will steal the show no matter what they’re served with, whether it’s pan-seared salmon or grilled steak. In fact, once you learn how to make them, you might just find yourself planning dinners around them to ensure they’re on your plate. In the off chance you have leftovers, dice them and add to a frittata, hash, or a quick soup.

• It’s a simple two-step process. Roast the potatoes in a mixture of melted butter and olive oil until golden-brown, then pour in broth and return to the oven to finish cooking.
• The potatoes are extra tender and flavorful. As the potatoes soak up the broth, they’ll become extra tender. To amp up the flavor, you’ll throw in some rosemary and garlic cloves.

Melting potatoes are a simplified version of fondant potatoes, which is a classic French technique of browning large rounds of potatoes in butter on the stovetop, then transferring them to the oven to roast with stock and butter. Here, the magic happens entirely in the oven, leaving you free to focus on the rest of the meal.

• Potatoes: You can use either Yukon gold or russet potatoes. The Yukons will cook up super creamy and buttery; the russets will be extra light and fluffy.
• Broth: Opt for either low-sodium chicken or veggie broth. You can’t go wrong with either.
• Garlic: You’ll need 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed.
• Butter: Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a large microwave-safe bowl.
• Rosemary: Strip the leaves off 2 to 3 fresh rosemary sprigs and coarsely chop until you get about 1 tablespoon.

1. Heat the oven and prepare the butter mixture. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F. Stir together the melted unsalted butter, olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper in a small bowl.
2. Prepare the potatoes. Peel and cut the potatoes crosswise into 1-inch thick rounds. Add the potatoes and chopped rosemary to the butter and toss well to coat.
3. Arrange on a baking sheet.Transfer the potatoes cut-side up to a rimmed 9×13-inch metal baking pan (avoid glass as it could shatter) or baking sheet (quarter sheet pan) and arrange in a single layer. Drizzle any remaining butter mixture over the potatoes.
4. Roast the potatoes. Roast until the potatoes easily release from the pan with tongs and the bottoms are beginning to turn golden brown, about 15 minutes. Flip the rounds and roast until the bottoms and tops are deep golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Remove the pan from the oven.
5. Add the broth and finish cooking the potatoes. Carefully pour the broth into the pan and add the garlic cloves. Roast until the potatoes are very tender and most of the broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
6. Return to the oven. Roast until the potatoes are very tender and most of the broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

• Peel-on potatoes: Peeling is entirely optional —  I actually prefer to leave them unpeeled, not only because it saves me a step, but also because I like the extra texture the skin provides.
• Fresh herbs: While this recipe calls for rosemary, you can use any combination of fresh hearty herbs, such as thyme, sage, or oregano.

Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

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