This 3-ingredient oven savory potato bake is my quiet little Easter potluck secret—the one I throw together when I want dinner handled hours ahead and don’t want to babysit anything on the stove. Thinly sliced potatoes get layered into a glass casserole dish and baked low and slow with a single umami-packed liquid until the starches turn almost gelatinous and custardy in the center, while the top and edges go browned and crispy. It’s very Midwestern in spirit: simple pantry ingredients, big comfort payoff, and it travels beautifully to family gatherings or sits happily on the counter until everyone’s ready to eat.
Serve these savory potatoes straight from the glass casserole dish, still steaming, alongside ham, roast chicken, or a simple green salad. The umami-rich, starchy bake loves something fresh and bright—think a tossed salad with vinaigrette or steamed green beans with lemon. For potlucks, I usually bring these with a store-bought rotisserie chicken and a bagged salad mix. At home, they’re great with roasted vegetables or a quick pan of sautéed mushrooms. Leftovers reheat well and make a cozy base for fried or poached eggs the next morning.
3-Ingredient Savory Oven PotatoesServings: 6
Ingredients
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
2 cups well-seasoned chicken stock or broth (preferably low-sodium)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the dish
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease a 9x13-inch glass casserole dish with butter, making sure to get into the corners so the potatoes don’t stick and the edges can crisp nicely.
Peel the russet potatoes, then slice them very thinly—about 1/8 inch thick. You can use a sharp knife or a mandoline if you have one. The thin slices are what help the potatoes release their starch and create that gelatinous, almost custardy texture as they bake.
Layer the sliced potatoes evenly in the buttered glass dish. Spread them out so they lie fairly flat and reach into the corners, but don’t stress about perfection; a little overlap is good and helps build that starchy, cohesive bake.
Slowly pour the chicken stock evenly over the potatoes, tilting the dish gently if needed so the stock settles down into the layers. The liquid should come just to the top of the potatoes or barely below—enough to mostly submerge them without completely drowning them.
Drizzle the melted butter over the top of the potatoes, making sure to cover as much surface area as you can. This butter will help the top layer brown and the edges turn crispy while the interior stays soft and jiggly with starch.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and place it on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake covered for 1 hour, until the potatoes are mostly tender when pierced with a knife and the liquid is starting to look thick and starchy rather than watery.
Carefully remove the foil, then return the uncovered dish to the oven. Continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is deeply golden brown, the edges are crispy, and the center looks set but slightly jiggly when you gently shake the dish. You should see bubbles around the edges and a glossy, almost gelatinous look to the starchy liquid that remains.
Once baked, let the potatoes rest on the counter for at least 15 to 20 minutes before serving. This rest time is key—it allows the starches to thicken and the layers to hold together while still staying soft and custardy in the middle.
If you want dinner handled hours ahead, you can bake the potatoes fully, let them rest, then loosely cover the dish with foil and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Rewarm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes until steaming and the edges are sizzling again before serving.
To serve, scoop big spoonfuls from the glass dish, making sure to get both the crispy browned top and the soft, gelatinous interior. Expect steam to rise and that rich, savory aroma to hit you as you dig in.
Variations & Tips
Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock to keep the dish vegetarian, or swap in beef stock for an even deeper, meatier flavor. If your stock is unsalted, lightly sprinkle salt between a few of the potato layers before pouring in the liquid so the finished bake isn’t bland. For extra umami, you can replace 1/4 cup of the stock with a splash of mushroom broth or the soaking liquid from dried mushrooms (just keep the total liquid amount the same). If you like a firmer, sliceable texture, bake a little longer uncovered and let the dish rest a full 30 minutes before serving so the starch sets more. For a creamier version that still stays within the spirit of the recipe, you can use half chicken stock and half whole milk or half-and-half, understanding it will be richer and slightly less gelatinous. To make this more weeknight-friendly, halve the recipe and bake it in an 8x8-inch glass dish; check a bit earlier for doneness. Leftovers can be cooled, cut into squares, and pan-fried in a little butter the next day until both sides are crispy, turning them into savory potato cakes.
