Name: Melting Potatoes
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients: 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted; 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 11/2 cups chicken broth; 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled

Why This Recipe Works

In the United Kingdom they’re known as fondant potatoes, and here in the United States they’re barely known at all. But melting potatoes are buttery, crispy on the outside, creamy in the middle, and definitely worth an introduction. Most recipes call for searing disks of potato in a skillet and then braising them to tenderness, but to feed a holiday crowd, we had to move the operation to the oven. We season the potatoes and toss them with butter; then we roast them in a 500-degree oven, flipping once, until they’re brown on both sides. After flipping them one last time, we add chicken broth and garlic and let the potatoes finish cooking to silky tenderness while the sauce thickens into a rich, buttery drizzle.

Before You Begin

Use potatoes at least 1½ inches in diameter. Do not use a glass baking dish, which could shatter.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Peel 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes.

Square off ends of potatoes and cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick disks. Toss potatoes with 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon table salt,and ½ teaspoon pepper.

Arrange potatoes in single layer in 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Roast potatoes until bottoms are beginning to brown around edges, about 15 minutes.

Remove pan from oven. Using flat metal spatula and tongs, loosen potatoes from bottom of pan and flip. Continue to roast until browned on second side, about 15 minutes longer.

Remove pan from oven, flip potatoes once more, and add 1½ cups chicken broth and 2 lightly crushed and peeled garlic cloves.

Roast until potatoes are tender and sauce has reduced slightly, about 15 minutes. Baste potatoes with sauce before serving.