Treat your family to an exceptional potato side dish using Chef Tom's Fondant Potatoes recipe.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Slicing the potatoes into thick cylinders instead of standard rounds: Cutting 2" cylinders gives you enough surface area on both flat sides for a real sear, while keeping enough height for the interior to steam through and stay creamy.
- Searing before braising instead of just simmering the potatoes raw: Browning the cut sides in oil first builds a deep crust that a straight braise wouldn't develop, so the potatoes end up crisp outside and tender inside instead of uniformly soft.
- Adding butter, garlic, and herbs only after the sear: Waiting until after searing to add the aromatics keeps the garlic and herbs from burning over the initial high heat, letting them infuse gently into the butter instead.
- Finishing in stock under a lid on indirect heat: Covering the skillet and moving it off direct flame lets the potatoes braise gently in the stock until fork-tender, without the crust already built on the bottom scorching further.
Fondant Potatoes
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Side Dish
Cuisine
American
Servings
6
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Calories
327
Elevate your potato side dish with Chef Tom's Fondant Potatoes recipe, cooked on the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill!
Ingredients
-
2 tbsp Colonial Chile Infused Oil
- 3 lb russet potatoes, peeled, sliced 2”
-
Cornhusker Kitchen Spray Duck Fat
-
Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 cup chicken stock
- Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt, to taste
Directions
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 500ºF with the diffuser door (or entire diffuser) removed. Place a Finex 12” Cast Iron Skillet over direct flame to preheat for 5 minutes.
- Spray your peeled potato cylinder with duck fat. Season with Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning.
- Warm the Colonial Chile Infused Oil in the preheated skillet. Add the potatoes to the skillet, cut side down. Cook to sear, about 10 minutes, rotating as needed to brown evenly.
- Flip the potatoes. Add the butter, garlic and herbs. Cook for a few minutes until the butter foams.
- Add the chicken stock. Cover with a lid. Move the skillet to indirect heat (the far right side of the grill). Turn temperature down to 400ºF.
Cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a toothpick, about 45 minutes.
- Season the potatoes with Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt, to taste. Serve topped with sauce from the pan.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why cut the potatoes into thick 2" cylinders instead of regular rounds?
Cylinders give you two flat sides with enough surface area for a real sear, while still keeping enough height that the interior stays creamy after braising instead of turning mushy all the way through.
Why sear the potatoes before adding the butter, garlic, and stock?
Browning the cut sides first builds a deep, crisp crust that a straight braise from raw wouldn't develop. Searing first, then braising, is what gives fondant potatoes their contrast between crisp outside and tender inside.
Why add the garlic and herbs after searing instead of at the very start?
Waiting until after the sear keeps the garlic and herbs from burning over the initial high heat used to brown the potatoes. Adding them once the pan cools slightly lets them infuse into the butter instead of scorching.
Why cover the skillet and move it to indirect heat for the final cook?
Covering traps steam from the stock, braising the potatoes gently until they're fork-tender. Moving off direct heat also protects the crust already built on the bottom from scorching further while the inside finishes cooking.
How do I know when the potatoes are actually done?
Pierce with a toothpick — it should slide in with little resistance when the potatoes are fully tender, about 45 minutes into the braise.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
5 out of 5 — a stovetop cast iron skillet, finished in a regular oven for the covered braise, replicates this recipe exactly; nothing about the technique requires a grill.
Recipe Highlights
Thick-cut cylinders: Balances sear surface with a tender interior.
Sear-then-braise method: Builds crust before the potatoes turn tender.
Post-sear aromatics: Keeps garlic and herbs from burning.
Covered indirect finish: Braises gently without scorching the built-up crust.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 10.07 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 327
- Carbs
- 38 grams
- Protein
- 4 grams
- Fat
- 19 grams
- Sodium
- 419 milligrams
