The Game-Changing Potato Recipe You're Not Making

Potatoes. Ho-hum. You bake them, you boil them, you fry them, then what? For the most part, potatoes are pretty bland, taking on either the flavoring from whatever you top them with, or cook them in. Of course, who doesn't love a good sour cream-chili-cheese potato, or a heaping plate of hot, crispy fries (as long as those fries are not from In-N-Out, blech)? But neither of these dishes are all that waistline-friendly, so they're not the kind of thing you want to eat every day. 

Still, food prices keep on rising, which is something food prices have done ever since the ancient Mesopotamians invented agriculture, and yet potato prices tend to remain on the low side. What with potatoes being so cheap and nutritious (despite the bad rap they've gotten during these carb-hating days), everybody could use a good go-to potato recipe. Sure, there's always mashed potatoes, but the thrill tends to wear off after a while. If you really want to change up your potato game, you need to try a little something called melting potatoes.

Real Simple simply raves about the new potato preparation technique that involves cooking them in butter (actually a relatively moderate and totally non-Paula Deen-ish amount of the stuff) and chicken stock, calling these potatoes "creamy, caramelized coins that melt in your mouth." That definitely sounds like something worth trying. And not all that hard to make, either.

The most difficult part of Real Simple's recipe seems to involve peeling 2 pounds of Yukon golds. Oh, and you must also crank your oven up to 500 degrees, so don't try making these on a day with temps in the 90s. Anyway, slice your peeled potatoes into 1-inch thick rounds, then toss them with 4 tablespoons of melted butter, 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh thyme or rosemary, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan — NOT a glass pan, as these might break at such high temps.

Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes, then flip them and bake 15 minutes longer. After they're cooked on both sides, remove the pan from the oven, add 1 cup of chicken stock (or substitute veggie stock, if you're a non-meat eater), and 3 to 4 smashed garlic cloves, then put the pan back in the oven, and bake the dish for about 15 more minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. 

If you want to get fancy, transfer the potatoes to a platter and pour any remaining liquid over the top, then maybe even garnish with a little chopped parsley, or additional thyme or rosemary. If you want to eat these potatoes straight out of the pan, though, we're not judging! Just let it cool down a bit first so you don't burn yourself.