Buttered potatoes are the simplest potato side there is: chunks of red potato boiled until they’re soft and creamy inside, then tossed in melted butter with salt and pepper until every piece is glossy. They go with almost any dinner, from a weeknight chicken to a holiday roast, and they’re done in 25 minutes.
How to make buttered potatoes: boil 2 pounds of red potato chunks in salted water with a little olive oil for about 15 minutes, until fork tender, then drain and stir in 4 tablespoons of butter with salt and pepper.
Why You’ll Love It
- Five ingredients, all of them already in your kitchen.
- 25 minutes from scrubbing to serving.
- One pot. The potatoes boil, drain and get buttered in the same stockpot.
- Feeds 8 as a side, and goes with nearly any main.
Ingredient Notes
Red potatoes. Two pounds, scrubbed and cut into large chunks. The skins stay on, so give them a good scrub under running water first. Cut them into large pieces of about the same size; small red potatoes only need to be halved.
Butter. Four tablespoons. Salted or unsalted both work; taste before adding the final salt if you use salted.
Olive oil and salt for the water. One tablespoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt go into the cooking water.
Salt and pepper. To taste at the end, stirred in with the butter.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into large chunks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, for the cooking water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, for the cooking water
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
How to Make Buttered Potatoes
1. Boil the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a large stockpot and add enough water to cover them completely. Add the olive oil and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Drain. Remove the pot from the heat and drain off the water.
3. Add the butter. Add the 4 tablespoons butter along with salt and pepper and stir until well combined.
4. Serve. Serve warm.
Butter in the Pot or After Draining?
There are two good ways to get butter onto boiled potatoes, plus a third for finishing them in a skillet. The recipe above uses the first, but all three end in the same place: tender potatoes with a glossy, buttery coat.
| Method | How it works | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Drain, then butter (this recipe) | Boil in salted water with olive oil, drain, stir in the butter, salt and pepper | About 15 minutes |
| Butter in the pot | Start the potatoes in cold water with the butter, salt and pepper; cover, bring to a boil, then crack the lid and cook over medium until about half the liquid is gone | About 10 to 15 minutes |
| Skillet finish | Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over low heat, add the hot boiled potatoes and stir just until coated and heated through | A few minutes |
Drain, then butter is the simplest. The potatoes cook in plenty of water, you pour it off, and the butter melts on the hot potatoes as you stir. Add the salt and pepper a little at a time and taste as you go.
Butter in the pot skips the draining. The potatoes simmer in a shallow, buttery liquid that soaks into them and cooks down as they go. Use about 2 pounds of potatoes in 1-inch chunks, and move them to a serving dish when they’re fork tender.
Skillet finish is handy when the potatoes are already boiled. Toss them in the melted butter only until they’re hot again.
Whichever way you choose, the test is the same: a fork, or a butter knife pushed into one of the larger chunks, should slide in easily.
Tips for Success
Why are some chunks hard and others falling apart?
The pieces were different sizes. Cooking time changes with the size of the potato, so cut them into chunks that are about the same, and test one of the larger pieces before you drain.
I doubled the batch. Do I double the boil time?
No. A bigger pot of potatoes doesn’t need twice as long. Check them at the usual time, about 15 minutes, then every 10 to 15 minutes after that until they’re fork tender.
Variations
- Garlic and parsley: for 1 1/4 pounds of small red potatoes, toss them in 2 tablespoons melted butter with 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper and 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley.
- Bacon and chives: scatter crumbled bacon and fresh chopped chives over the buttered potatoes before serving.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, divided into shallow containers so they cool quickly. They keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge or 3 to 4 months in the freezer, though USDA FSIS notes that frozen leftovers can lose moisture and flavor the longer they’re frozen. Reheat covered until they reach 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve buttered potatoes with a main and one more side. They’re right at home next to baked honey lime garlic butter salmon or pan-fried tilapia with lemon butter sauce. If you like potatoes every which way, try Southern stewed potatoes, slow cooker glazed herb baby potatoes or garlic herb roasted potatoes, carrots and zucchini. Prefer noodles? Slow cooker Amish buttered noodles are the same idea in pasta form.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a buttered potato?
Potatoes boiled until tender and then coated in melted butter, salt and pepper. Nothing else goes in, which is what makes it such an easy side for any dinner.
How do I make buttered potatoes on the stovetop?
Everything here happens on the stove: boil the chunks in a large stockpot until fork tender, drain, and stir in the butter in the same pot.
Do I peel the potatoes?
This recipe keeps the skins on red potatoes. Just scrub them well before cutting them into chunks.
Final Notes
Stir the butter in while the potatoes are still steaming hot, right after draining, so it melts straight into them. Tell me in the comments what you served yours with.
Buttered Potatoes
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds red potatoes scrubbed and cut into large chunks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil for the cooking water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt for the cooking water
- 4 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put the potatoes in a large stockpot and add enough water to cover them completely. Add the olive oil and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and drain off the water.
- Add the 4 tablespoons butter along with salt and pepper and stir until well combined.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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