You all need to make these fondant potatoes immediately

It’s about time everyone makes the delicious fondant potatoes. You can only listen to me going on about them so much before you actually get stuck in and stuff yourself full of buttery potato goodness.

Here’s a list of what you’ll need to make them:

  • 6 red skin potatoes
  • 150g/5 1/4oz butter
  • 1 chicken stock pod
  • 200ml/7oz water
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • Salt and pepper

Pommes Fondant

Fondant potatoes are one of the naughtiest, buttery-est and most delicious potatoes on the market. For this one I’ll show you how to shape your spuds, clarify butter and a handy way to use up your chunky offcuts (plus, they become the chefs treats later on!).

First of all, you’ll need to get your butter on to clarify. This means that you’re removing all of the buttermilk that would burn when cooking the fondants for so long. Cube up all of your butter and tip it into a saucepan over a medium low heat, until the golden butter fat is on the top and all of the milky solids at the bottom. DO NOT STIR IT! Otherwise you’ll just have to wait for it to separate again. Use a spoon to gently skim off any solids on the top of the liquid butter, then carefully pour the golden butter off the top into a clean saucepan. Keep the remaining buttermilk in the bottom to use in marinades or buttermilk dressings!

Practice makes perfect

For fondants I recommend using a red skin potato as they’re a bit firmer and hold their shape more after cooking. You can use a Maris Piper, but they can go a little mushy. In the US, I’d recommend a rooster potato. Try to find the ones that are about the same height, some proper chunky spuds. Get a ring cutter that’s around 1 1/2 inches across and a heavy based saucepan, and use the weight of the pan to cut rounds from each spud. Grab an old, blunt knife to cut around the edges if your cutter won’t go all the way through!

When you’ve cut rings out of all of your potatoes, line them all up on your board and use a sharp knife to level them all out to the same height. Try to only do this once, otherwise you’ll end up with tiny little fondants! Take a potato peeler at 45º and use it to very gently round and shape the top of the fondants.

Preheat a small-medium heavy based saucepan over a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Your pan needs to be able to fit all of your fondants in without too much room around the sides. Choose the ugliest side of your potatoes (there’s always one) and fry them off for a few minutes until golden brown, then flip them over.

Cooking your fondants

When your fondants have lightly browned on both sides, use your big chunks of potato offcuts from shaping your fondants to hold everything in place. Pour in your clarified butter in until it reaches about 3/4 of the way up your fondants. Then pour in some hot chicken or vegetable stock to just cover. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cut a circle of parchment paper and pop it over the top – see my Youtube video for a little trick for greaseproof circles!

Leave your fondants to gently bubble away for around 30-40 minutes, until the liquid in the pan has reduced by half. Go get a cup of tea and a digestive in ya bab.

Finishing touches

Remove the parchment paper from the top of your fondants and let the rest of the butter and stock evaporate from the pan. Leave your fondants for a few minutes so that they release themselves from the bottom of the pan. Don’t be tempted to try and take them out too early, otherwise you risk leaving the best part of your potatoes in the bottom of the pan!

When you can gently pick them up from the base of the pan, flip them over and serve them up with a sprinkle of flaky salt and revel in the glory of your buttery, salty potatoes. All of the little offcuts of potatoes are little mini fondants, which are treats for the chef!

When you’ve nailed the regular fondant potatoes, why not give my Bacon Wrapped Fondant Potatoes or  Ras el Hanout Spiced Fondants a go!