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About This Braised Potatoes Recipe
Prepared entirely on the stove top, these braised potatoes with butter, garlic and dill cook to tender perfection, yet still hold their shape nicely. They acquire gently blistered, golden-brown skins and finish with a creamy texture delicately infused with garlic flavor.
Served coated in the light, buttery sauce they braise in and dotted with the softened garlic and fragrant dill, they are hard to say no to. Growing up I could never resist them. Not only that, but I would hover around the stove while my grandma or mother was making them, impatiently lifting the lid of the pot to see if they were already tender. Braised potatoes were one of the first dishes I ever learned how to cook and the one potato dish I have made most frequently in all the years since.
Here is why I think you will love my family recipe for braised potatoes:
- They are very easy to make - minimal prep and active cooking
- They cook in about 20 minutes - during that time you can focus on making a salad for dinner or a even sear a quick protein
- The texture has a creamy softness with a subtle firmness
- The light, garlicky, buttery sauce resulting from the braising liquid is just the thing to mop up with a piece of potato
Best Type of Potato for Braising
The best potatoes for braising are small potatoes with thin skins that can be easily scrubbed and braised whole.
- Small gold potatoes (German Butterball or baby Yukon golds), small red potatoes, small purple potatoes, and all varieties of fingerling potatoes can all be braised whole. They also have rich, less starchy flesh that keeps well together during cooking and finishes wonderfully creamy. Above is a picture of Peruvian small purple potatoes I braised in a similar way to the one I demonstrate in the video here. They were a side to oven baked lamb chops.
- That being said, most waxy and all-purpose potatoes will work well in this recipe if you cut them in bite-sized pieces. Review my recipe for beer potatoes which is a variation of this one and where I show how to braise Yukon Gold potatoes and Hannah sweet potatoes.
- Potatoes to avoid braising are all starchy varieties such as Russet potatoes. They easily fall apart in liquid.
Ingredients
Olive oil and butter. A combination of both creates more flavor from the get go and at the end a bit of extra butter adds a fresh layer of deliciousness as it melts over the hot and tender potatoes.
Potatoes. I am demonstrating with and recommend that you opt for baby gold potatoes for this recipe, also known as spring potatoes or yellow small potatoes. See next section for more on your choices.
Garlic. Do not be shy with the garlic. It will mellow out. Be sure to fine chop it and not mince it for best results (see Tips below).
Seasonings. Use kosher salt and ground black pepper to season the potatoes before they begin braising. Finish with a sprinkle of sea salt flakes (fleur de sel) if you have them on hand or more kosher salt.
Fresh dill. The quintessential companion to garlic and braised potatoes. While you can use a number of other fresh herbs with savory qualities such as oregano, thyme, chives or garlic chives, parsley or summer savory, dill just belongs in this potato dish.
Liquid. Water is perectly fine to use as the braising liquid. You can substitute with a vegetable or chicken broth or even add a splash of a well chosen beer to create flavor nuances.
How to Braise Potatoes
Watch this video for an easy going demonstration of the process. In the Recipe Card I have also included screenshots to help you visualize the steps.
Overall, braising potatoes is one of the easiest things you can do with them. Relax, prepare your ingredients and follow the steps outlined before.
- Heat both butter and olive oil over medium-high heat and immediately add the potatoes and garlic. Mix well to coat all the potatoes well and allow to sear. In about a minute stir again so that other parts of the potatoes can brown.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and season with salt and pepper, then add the water and mix again. Close the lid and allow to braise for about 15 minutes. Check if more liquid is needed and probe with a fork for tenderness. In all likelihood you will need to braise for another 5-10 minutes.
- When satisfied with the tenderness, turn off the heat, add fresh butter and chopped dill, stir and close the lid to allow for the frehly introduced ingredients to be integrated.
Tips & Considerations
- Be sure to dry the potatoes nicely once you are done rinsing them. The skins will acquire a better sear and thus develop more flavor.
- Be sure to halve bigger potatoes or cut large potatoes such as whole Yukon Gold into uniformly sized pieces.
- Spring small potatoes, known as new potatoes, tend to have thinner skins and absorb less liquid during braising. You can slightly decrease the amount of water you use.
- Late season (fall or winter) small potatoes could need minimal peeling in areas where the skin is not so thin; they also tend to absorb more liquid. You can stay with the recommended amount of 1 cup of water.
- When you prepare the garlic be sure to fine chop it versus mince it. When you fine chop garlic, the bits are a bit bigger and can withstand the heat of the initial searing step without burning and hold their shape nicely during the braising. When you mince it, the small pieces could burn and/or begin to dissolve.
- Potatoes generally absorb a lot of salt. Season with kosher salt to taste (but generously) in the beginning and do not be afraid to finish with a bit of sea salt or kosher salt at the end to highlight the overall medley of flavors.
How Long to Braise Potatoes?
Small potatoes usually braise in about 20 minutes, but the potatoes variety and size both introduce variability.
Simply braise the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork.
Seethed Potatoes Are Not Braised Potatoes
You may encounter recipes where you are encouraged to first simmer small potatoes whole, in a single layer, in water, oil and herbs/spices. Once tender, you are encouraged to allow the liquid to evaporate until the potatoes are semi-dry and slightly crispy. Even though not drastically, this method is different and produces a dish known as seethed potatoes.
Seething potatoes is not the same as braising potatoes in terms of technique. Without the lovely braising liquid into which you can fork-smash each potato so it can soak up the delightful butteriness, seethed potatoes don't quite reach the full-blown delight of their braised counterparts - even though they still taste good, they are dryish.
Serve Braised Potatoes
This potato dish is a side that can pair with a multitude of protein mains. From lighter fare like baked cod fish fillet to a richly flavored lamb roast - braised potatoes offer a lot.
My favorite pairings are with:
You Might Enjoy
Confit Potatoes | Beer Potatoes with Thyme | Juicy Yukon Gold Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic | Herb Roasted Potatoes | German Potato Dumplings | White Sweet Potatoes with Miso | Parmesan Crusted Purple Sweet Potatoes | German Potato Salad | Beer Battered Fries | Cheesy Hashbrown Potatoes Casserole
Recipe
Braised Potatoes with Butter, Garlic & Dill
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot with a lid
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoon butter, divided in two
- 1½ lbs small potatoes*
- 4 cloves garlic, or to taste
- kosher salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup water, or vegetable or chicken broth
- 5-6 sprigs fresh dill, or to taste
Instructions
- Rinse potatoes, scrub and if needed remove eyes or peel thicker part of the skins. Halve larger potatoes to obtain uniform pieces.
- Small chop the peeled garlic cloves and coarse chop the dill (remove thickest parts of stem).
- Heat both 2 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoon olive oil in the Durch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and the chopped garlic and mix well to coat the potatoes.
- Allow the coated potatoes and garlic to brown for about a minute. Give them a good stir and allow them to brown for another minute.
- Season with kosher salt and black pepper, to taste. Add 1 cup of water, stir well. Lower the heat to medium-low. Cover with lid.
- Cook covered on medium-low for about 15 minutes.
- Check for tenderness and to see how much of the water has been absorbed (if needed add a splash or two more). If needed, cook covered for another 5-10 minutes or until tender to your liking.
- When tender turn off the heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoon butter and the chopped fresh dill. Stir well, then close the lid and allow the potatoes to sit for a couple of minutes. Serve.
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