Fondant Potatoes
Here's how to make restaurant style fondant potatoes! These French potatoes are cooked in plenty of garlic & herbs and are melt in your mouth tender.
Servings: 6 People
Equipment
- Large Oven Proof Frying Pan
- Vegetable Peeler
- 7cm Circular Cutter
Ingredients
- 6 Large Maris Piper Potatoes (See Notes)
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 75 g Unsalted Butter
- 4 Garlic Cloves (Peeled & Crushed)
- 6 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
- 6 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 250 ml Chicken Stock (See Notes)
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f).
Cutting The Potatoes
- With A Cutter - Peel the potatoes then use a sharp knife to trim the 2 longer sides of each one, so that there's a flat surface on each side (the potatoes should be 3-4 cm thick). Use a circular cutter to cut a perfectly round fondant out of the centre of each potato then use a veg peeler to round off the top & bottom edges.I used a 7 cm cutter but feel free to make your fondants slightly bigger or smaller.
- With A Knife - Peel the potatoes then trim each end flat (the shorter sides). Cut each potato in half widthways, to get 2 fondants that are 3-4 cm thick then use a veg peeler to round off the top & bottom edges.You probably won't need as many potatoes to cut out 6 fondants using this method. If your potatoes are bigger, you'll get more than 2 fondants out of each. If they're smaller, you may only get 1.
Cooking
- Set a large oven proof frying pan over a medium-high heat, add in the vegetable oil then leave to heat up for a minute or two.
- Pat the potatoes dry with kitchen paper then carefully add into the hot oil, flat side down.The first side that is seared will be the presentation side, so choose each potatoes' neatest side.
- Cook the potatoes for 5-6 minutes, until they're a deep, golden brown then flip over, cook for another 3-4 minutes then add in the butter, garlic & herbs.The second side should be golden brown before we add in the butter.
- Season the potatoes with salt & pepper then turn the heat down to low. Cook for another couple of minutes, to infuse the fat.
- Give the potatoes a baste with the butter, add in the stock then cook in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until tender, basting them with the stock every 10 minutes or so.To check if the potatoes are cooked, give them a poke with a skewer. If it slides in with no resistance, they're ready.
To Finish
- Once cooked, carefully lift the potatoes out of the pan & transfer to a plate. Take the garlic & herbs out of the pan & discard.
- Next, set the pan over a medium heat & cook for a minute or two, stirring to emulsify the butter & stock. Give the sauce a taste to check the seasoning, adding in salt & pepper as needed.
- Spoon the sauce over the potatoes then serve. Alternatively, you can serve the potatoes in the pan, basting them with the sauce.
Notes
1. To Cook On An Aga - Use the boiling plate to sear then potatoes then the simmering plate to infuse the fat. Cook the potatoes in the baking oven, on the bottom set of runners. Finish the sauce on the boiling plate.
2. Potatoes - Maris Pipers work best for this recipe but other floury potatoes like Russet & King Edwards will work as well. Make sure not to soak the potatoes in water as we need the starch to thicken the stock, which is what glazes the fondants.
3. Stock - You can use a homemade chicken stock or a stock pot/cube dissolved in boiling water. If you're using a stock cube, you don't want to make the stock too strong, as this can make the potatoes salty.
4. Making In Advance - Fondant potatoes are best served straight away but they can be made up to 3 days in advance & stored in the fridge. Reheat them in the oven, with a splash of stock.