The Secret Ingredient for Amazing Roasted Potatoes

Melting potatoes (or fondant potatoes) feel so sophisticated but they’re so incredibly easy to make. This savory, rich recipe has a secret ingredient that gives it an especially delicious pan sauce.

Baked sliced miso melting potatoes in a light blue serving plate, dressed in a miso sauce — Simply Recipes / Photo by Will Dickey / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

The editors at Simply Recipes are big fans of melting potatoes around here, also known as fondant potatoes. This fancy-looking and sounding technique is actually incredibly easy, and yields creamy, flavor-packed, and lightly crisp potatoes with a savory pan sauce.

The secret to these umami-rich potatoes is one ingredient: miso. The potatoes absorb the broth that’s poured over them while they cook, giving them a silky texture and leaving behind a rich miso butter sauce in the skillet. The sauce does soften the potatoes if you pour it over the top of them, so if you want to maximize crispiness, serve the sauce on the side.

Tips and Tricks for Making Miso Melting Potatoes

Yukon golds are best for melting potatoes because you can boil them, steam them, and roast them and they’ll remain intact. If you use Russets, they’ll fall apart because they are too starchy.
Preheating the baking sheet jumpstarts the cooking process, ensuring that the potatoes are golden brown.
For a spicy finish, drizzle hot chili oil over the potatoes.
Instead of thinly sliced chives, garnish the potatoes with toasted sesame seeds, chopped fresh cilantro, or sliced scallions.

Miso melting potatoes in a skillet, with a serving spoon about to scoop some of the potato slices out — Simply Recipes / Photo by Will Dickey / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Preheat the oven to 475°F.

Place a 12-inch ovenproof skillet on the center rack to preheat.

Prepare the potatoes:

Trim the thin ends off of the potatoes and discard. Cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 4 cups). Toss the sliced potatoes, butter, salt, and pepper together in a medium bowl until fully coated.

Sliced potatoes on a wooden cutting board for the miso melting potatoes recipe — Simply Recipes / Photo by Will Dickey / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Sliced potatoes in a mixing bowl for the miso melting potatoes recipe — Simply Recipes / Photo by Will Dickey / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Bake the potatoes:

Remove the hot skillet from the oven and carefully pour the potatoes into the hot skillet, moving them around to form a single layer, cut side down. Bake in the preheated oven until deeply golden brown on both sides, 30 to 35 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Sliced potatoes browned in a skillet for the for the miso melting potatoes recipe — Simply Recipes / Photo by Will Dickey / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Make the miso mixture:

Meanwhile, whisk together 1/2 cup of chicken stock and the miso paste in a liquid measuring cup; set aside.

Add the miso mixture and finish baking:

After the potatoes have been cooked on both sides, pour the miso mixture into the skillet around the potatoes and carefully shake the skillet to evenly distribute the mixture around the potatoes.

Continue to bake until some of the miso mixture has absorbed into the potatoes and a thicker sauce has formed around the potatoes in the bottom of the skillet, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and transfer the potatoes to a plate.

Drizzle the sauce over the potatoes and garnish with chives.

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