Melting Potatoes

Every Christmas Eve, I like to make a special dinner; usually, this is something I've never made before, so I get to try out something new in the hopes that it will be a smash. Kind of dangerous on Christmas Eve, come to think of it, because if it doesn't turn out, what is there left to eat? But, we've been fortunate that it has always worked out. And this year, Andy wanted prime rib. It turned out beautifully, though I did underestimate the cook time, so we didn't sit down to dinner until almost 8 p.m.! Yikes! For a family that normally eats at 5:30, this was late! But we made it through. I made two simple sides to go with the prime rib. The first were these melting potatoes. This is another recipe that came out of my Cook's Country magazine, and it was a HUGE hit. My kids, not the most ardent potato lovers, went gaga over these and Andy and I thought they were just about perfect. Stay close by when you pop them in the oven, because you have to flip them three times, but it's so worth it. I do up the garlic quotient quite a bit. I used about 10 cloves rather than the 2 it called for.

Melting Potatoes (via Cook's Country)
Ingredients:

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Square off ends of potatoes and cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick disks. Toss potatoes with butter, thyme, salt, and pepper. Arrange potatoes in single layer in 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

2. Roast potatoes until bottoms are beginning to brown around edges, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Using flat metal spatula and tongs, loosen potatoes from bottom of pan and flip. Continue to roast until browned on second side, about 15 minutes longer.

3. Remove pan from oven, flip potatoes once more, and add broth and garlic. Roast until potatoes are tender and sauce has reduced slightly, about 15 minutes. Baste potatoes with sauce before serving.