Golden garlic butter potatoes are the corner-piece-of-the-roast, cube by cube: boiled 10 minutes in salted water, steamed dry, dusted with a heaped tablespoon of cornstarch and shaken in a cling-filmed bowl to rough up the edges, then pan-fried in one layer until deep gold. Butter goes in only at the end so its milk solids toast instead of burn, and rinsed, bone-dry garlic fries golden instead of bitter. Serves 3.
Instructions
- 1
Cube the potatoes evenly and boil in salted water until just tender.
10:00 - 2
Drain and let the steam off — dry now means golden later.
- 3
Dust with the heaped tablespoon of cornstarch, seal the bowl with cling film and shake — rough edges catch the oil.
- 4
Get olive oil properly hot and fry the cubes in one layer — crowded, they steam.
- 5
Crush the garlic cloves flat, chop fine, rinse off the sticky juice and pat completely dry.
- 6
When the cubes are colored, add the butter — this late it coats everything and the milk solids toast.
- 7
Add the garlic last — it only needs a minute — with a second pinch of salt and black pepper.
01:00 - 8
Turn everything over, plate hot and scatter the dill and parsley last.
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Notes from our kitchen
Three details carry this recipe. The butter timing: any earlier and it burns, this late its milk solids just toast — that is the smell you are after. The garlic rinse: washing the chopped garlic removes the sticky juice that scorches, so it fries golden instead of bitter — but it must be patted completely dry or it spits in the oil. And the single layer in the pan is non-negotiable; a pile steams.
Variations
- Herb swaps. Dill and parsley are the video pairing, but rosemary or thyme added with the butter (not before) lean it toward classic roast-potato territory. Whatever you use fresh goes on at the plate — the butter carries enough heat to wake the aroma without cooking it away.
- What to serve with it. Anywhere a roast potato works: next to steak or roast chicken, or under fried eggs the morning after. They are at their crunchiest in the first minutes off the pan, so time them to land last on the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the cornstarch do?
The thin coat is what turns deep gold and crisp in the pan — it fries into a shell around the softened cube while the shaking roughs up the edges so there is more surface to crisp. Skip it and you get sautéed potatoes; with it you get the corner piece everyone fights over.
Why rinse the chopped garlic?
Chopping releases a sticky, sugary juice that burns quickly in hot fat and turns garlic bitter. Rinsing washes it off and a thorough pat-dry stops the spitting — rinsed garlic fries golden and sweet in its one minute at the end.
Can I make them ahead?
Boil, dry and even starch-coat the cubes hours ahead and hold them uncovered in the fridge — then fry just before serving. The crisp fades within half an hour of plating, so the pan stage is the one to do last.
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