Easy 4-Ingredient Melting Potatoes Start With Butter

With a caramelized exterior coated in a rich sauce, and a creamy, dissolving interior, melting potatoes suggest a practiced chef who has spent years training for this moment. In reality, the dish takes time, but the techniques involved can be found in even a beginning chef's toolbelt. Melting potatoes, what we here in the U.S. call the French dish pommes de terre fondantes, involves pan-searing spud medallions, roasting them in the oven, and braising them in garlicky broth and butter. All it takes is potatoes, broth, garlic, and plenty of the right type of butter.

For the dish to have full flavor, you'll want to add butter throughout the cooking process. After searing the potatoes in a pan, toss in knobs of butter to add more color to the crispy, browned tops and bottoms. Then, when it's time to start braising the dish, there is nothing wrong with even more butter in the stock with the garlic. Keep spooning the liquid atop the potatoes throughout. While they're in the oven, take them out from time to time to keep spooning that buttery broth on top of your potatoes as they get more and more creamy.

An important step for making excellent melting potatoes is cutting them to a uniform depth. The length and width of each potato don't matter, as long as each is equally tall. Around 1 to 1 and a half inches is usually best. You can use a cookie cutter to create a uniform circular look, but if you keep the sides as is, they will still taste great; they will just have a more rustic appearance. You can use any potato, and there's no need to rinse or soak the starch out. Yukon Golds are a classic choice thanks to how creamy they become. Sub in sweet potatoes to add some sweetness.

You can play around with the broth. Chicken is the classic stock, but vegetable and a light beef broth both work as well. For a fun twist, use onion broth with caramelized onions on top. This will give it a comforting oniony umami with some sweetness coming from the caramelization. Toss herbs into the broth to add more fresh flavors. Thyme and sage work really well in this dish. You can replace or add onions to the garlic for a touch of onioniness.

Cheese goes well with everything. Gruyère, mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan all would add to the dishes when melted on top. Or garnish with bacon bits to bring another, smoky layer of meatiness. Or add brightness with some lemon zest. Once the potato is perfect, it's hard to mess it up!