HEART-SHAPED FONDANT POTATOES

Posted in Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by

Valentine’s Day is coming up, so if you are cooking at home, this would be a perfect side dish… A little bit tricky to get the timing of everything right the first time, but we absolutely loved this recipe.

HEART-SHAPED FONDANT POTATOES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

Medium-large Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 quart warm water
4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 to 2 cups chicken broth
sprigs of rosemary and thyme

1 heart shaped cookie cutter, preferably metal

Cut the potatoes in slices as thick as your cookie cutter. Use the cookie cutter to get heart shapes, as many as you want and will fit an oven-safe skillet in one single layer. Place the slices of potato in a bowl with the warm water and salt for 2 to 6 hours.

Remove the potatoes from the brine, dry them well. Heat the olive oil in a skillet, when really hot, add the slices of potato and let the first side brown well. Season with a little pepper, you might want to skip the salt due to the brining. Brown the first side for about 4 minutes. Flip the slices over, add the butter, once it melts, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the chicken stock, to about half the height of the potatoes. Add the rosemary and thyme.

Cover the pan and transfer to a 400F oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the sprigs of herbs, and spoon some of the cooking liquid over the potatoes. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here


Comments: Fondant potatoes are a classic, but as you might imagine, I had to reduce a little bit the amount of butter. It did not compromise the taste, they were melt-in-your-mouth tender and super flavorful. In the classic version, cubes of potatoes much larger are used, and the cooking time is longer. It is al little tricky to make it work with thinner slices, but worth the trouble. Leftovers, in case you are wondering were spectacular still two days later. We enjoyed them with beef tenderloin and asparagus. Ate like Royalty. Not surprising, since a Prince lives with us…

ONE YEAR AGO: Coconut Cupcakes get Frosty

TWO YEARS AGO: Mexican Bolillos

THREE YEARS AGO: Brazilian Style Banana Cake

FOUR YEARS AGO: Tiger Shrimp in Chili Sauce

FIVE YEARS AGO: Tangzhong Hamburger Buns

SIX YEARS AGO: Potato Soup with Spicy Shrimp

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Rose-Harissa Chicken Thighs

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Caramel-Chocolate Tartlets

NINE YEARS AGO: Chicken Korma-ish

TEN YEARS AGO: Sunday Gravy with Braciola

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, February 2015

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Avocado and Orange Salad with Charred Jalapeno Dressing

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Green Olive, Walnuts and Pomegranate Salad

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Romanian Flatbreads

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Ziti with Artichokes and Meyer Lemon Sauce

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: Blasted Broccoli, Stove-top version

9 thoughts on “HEART-SHAPED FONDANT POTATOES”

    • Eha, you would be surprised at how picky Prince is – he sometimes spits a piece of potato we offer him, looks at us as if saying “do you expect me to eat THIS?” while Star grabs it quickly and walks away to enjoy it. Star eats anything with gusto, enthusiasm, wagging the tail, Prince acts as if he is doing the world a favor by consuming a bit of food… it is hilarious – but yes, each one had one little heart shaped potato, not on the first dinner but when we had for leftovers…… 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. Fondant potatoes! You’re my hero, Sally! This is one of the best potato concoctions in the world that most home cooks don’t know about. Yours look splendid! I can’t imagine making them without a metric ton of butter per pound of potato, but if you say it works, I’ll believe you. Same with making them thinner than normal.

    One trick I learned from making these in restaurants: bevelling the edges during prep helps keep the finished product from having a darker (and possibly over cooked) ring around the perimeter. Just run a paring knife around the top and bottom edges at an angle. Not that yours look bad or anything, I just thought that as a cooking god it was my obligation to pass that along to you 😉

    However what is completely beyond reproach is your decision to pair these beauties with beef tenderloin and asparagus. Bravo! Bravo, I say! You’ve learned well, young Jedi 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Well, unfortunately the days of cooking with abandon and not worrying about saturated fat are over. Once you have heart issues, you need to accommodate and make serious, permanent changes. I am always a bit sad of cutting the amount of butter in recipes like these, because they do have a role and make it all perfect. But I think this is a good compromise recipe. Feel free to go crazy with the butter, though

      The timing of braising is crucial – so make sure to check as it goes into the oven, it all depends on the thickness of the potatoes

      Like

      Reply

Click here to comment, love to hear from you!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.