Easy Fondant Potatoes: Delightfully Tender, Elegant, & Addictive! (2024)

Fondant potatoes look fancy, but they're actually easy and tasty to make! This French way of cooking turns potatoes into something really special - soft, creamy, and full of flavor. Even your family will be amazed by how good these potatoes taste. Get ready to make a side dish everyone will love!

Pommes de Terre Fondantes

Take your potato side to a whole new level with these buttery, crusty, elegant-looking fondant potatoes (aka pommes fondant or pommes de Terre fondantes) for holiday meals, special occasions, or simply because they are so darn good!

You wouldn't think that a potato could taste absolutely like potato, and then some. The stock flavor slowly cooks into the center as the fondant potatoes are roasted in the oven, heightening the perfection of these simple potatoes.

Everyone (friends and family alike) is thoroughly hooked on my fondant potatoes! As those of you who read the website probably know, my husband and I tend to binge-watch Gordon Ramsay shows. We love to make copycats or variations of his recipes together!

This is one of those foods that was commonly made in the Hell's Kitchen television series, and therefore, we decided to try it using a few different methods.

My round-cut (so amazing!) version is our favorite, but for simplicity, I also make fondant potatoes by using russet potatoes cut in half lengthwise.

🥘 Ingredients

I use just a few base ingredients with this recipe, and these are all staple ingredients in my kitchen. Some of your favorite fresh herbs and cloves of garlic are wonderful additions for flavor variety!

• Russet Potatoes - 4 russet potatoes. This potato variety will cook up the best with this method. They will yield a super tender, fluffy potato texture on the inside while delightfully crisp on the outside.
• Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) for searing the potatoes.
• Chicken Stock - 2 cups of chicken stock, or you can also use vegetable broth.
• Butter - 2 tablespoons of butter. Salted butter is best, and good European butter adds even more richness.
• Salt & Pepper - Just a touch for seasoning while cooking. You can add more to taste when serving.
• Chives (optional) - ½ a tablespoon of fresh chives are a wonderful addition to your fondant potatoes!
• Garlic (optional) - 4 garlic cloves in the pan juices add that unique garlic flavor.
• Parsley (optional) - ½ a tablespoon of bright green to garnish your cooked potatoes with when serving.

*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*

🔪 How To Make Fondant Potatoes

My fondant potatoes are stunning when I take the time to cut them into these beautiful barrel-shaped cylinders, which is surprisingly easy when using a round metal biscuit cutter (*see note).

If you don't have a biscuit cutter, you can carefully use a sharp knife. You will also need a medium-sized bowl, an oven-safe skillet, and a spatula or tongs to flip the potatoes.

This will make about 4-6 servings, depending on how many rounds you cut each potato into. I cut 2 rounds from each potato, but you could do 3 if you prefer them a little shorter.

Prepare the Russet Potatoes

1. Rinse and halve. Rinse and cut 4 large russet potatoes into halves, then cut the rounded ends off.
2. Shape. Cut your potatoes into barrel-shaped cylinders using a metal biscuit cutter (or carefully shape them using a knife).
3. Soak. Return the cut potato rounds to a bowl of cold water. Allow the potatoes to soak in cold water for about 5 minutes.
4. Dry and season. Pat the potato rounds dry, then season with salt and pepper.

Make Your Fondant Potatoes

1. Preheat. Set your oven to 425°F (218°C) and bring your cast iron skillet (or another heavy-bottomed oven-safe skillet) with 2 tablespoons of olive oil to medium heat on the stovetop.
2. Sear both sides. Place the cut potato rounds in your heated pan and cook until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook the second side until golden brown. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and melt in the skillet, spooning over the first browned side of the potatoes. Add ½ a tablespoon of chives (and optional 4 garlic cloves) if desired.
3. Add the broth. Pour 2 cups of chicken (or vegetable) stock into the skillet with the potato rounds, and then transfer the skillet to your preheated oven.
4. Cook until tender. Cook the fondant potatoes for about 30 minutes, or until the 'white' portion of the middle has become more white and the potatoes are tender inside.
5. Serve. Garnish with chopped parsley (or fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme) and serve with 2-3 tablespoons of the remaining chicken stock.

Fondant potatoes are a tasty potato side dish to serve with any roast, but I usually reserve them for special occasions and holiday meals. They're so yummy that I should indulge in them much more often! Enjoy!

💭 Tips & Notes

• You don't have to cut your potatoes as shown here. My method was done to have a lot of height on my fondant potatoes, resulting in many cut-away potatoes that went unused. Instead of using half of each potato for each round, a large potato could be cut into thirds, yielding 3 slightly shorter but wider rounds. However, the height of the rounds, as shown here, adds fantastic texture with the crispy top and bottom and the super creamy inside portion of the potato.
• If too much stock has evaporated during cooking, add more as needed. You will want only a couple of tablespoons of leftover stock to serve with the fondant potatoes.
• If too much stock is left over when the potatoes are done cooking, remove the fondant potatoes to a plate and return the pan with stock to the oven to allow more stock to evaporate.

🥡 Storing

Store any leftover fondant potatoes in an airtight storage container. They will store wonderfully in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

The interior won't be quite as fluffy and creamy, but the taste is still amazing.

I don't suggest freezing fondant potatoes as the consistency just turns to mush once thawed and reheated.

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❓ FAQ

🥔 More Potato Side Dishes

• Bacon Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes - These creamy mashed potatoes have a little something extra that makes them even more delicious!
• Ranch Roasted Potatoes - Fluffy potato wedges with a crispy outside and plenty of ranch seasoning.
• Roasted Potatoes and Onions - An easy potato side dish that pairs well with just about any main course!
• Duck Fat Fried Potatoes - Duck fat gives these pan-fried potatoes an extra rich and buttery flavor.
• Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes - Melted cheese, savory bacon, potatoes, and ranch, a match made in heaven!
• Mashed Potatoes without Milk - These mashed potatoes are just as creamy and irresistible, but without using milk!

📖 Recipe Card