This little potato dish comes straight from my Aunt Marian’s Sunday supper table, where casseroles lined the counter and someone was always asking for “just one more spoonful.” It’s nothing fancy to look at—just diced potatoes baked in sour cream until they’re unbelievably creamy with crisp, golden edges—but it has a way of stealing the show from the roast or the ham. Around here in the rural Midwest, we’ve always believed in letting a few simple ingredients do the talking, and this recipe is a perfect example: three things you probably already have, stirred together and baked on a foil-lined pan until the whole kitchen smells like comfort.
Serve these creamy sour cream potatoes hot right from the pan, scooped up with a big spoon. They’re wonderful alongside roast chicken, meatloaf, pork chops, or a baked ham, and they fit right in on a Sunday table with green beans, a tossed salad, or buttered corn. I like to pass the salt and pepper at the table so everyone can season their own, and if you’re feeding a crowd, a basket of warm dinner rolls or biscuits turns this simple side into a real farmhouse feast.
Oven Baked 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Potato BakeServings: 6
Ingredients
3 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 cups full-fat sour cream
4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Directions
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet or shallow roasting pan with aluminum foil, shiny side up. Lightly grease the foil with a bit of the melted butter or a dab of sour cream to help keep sticking to a minimum.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into small, even 1/2-inch cubes. The smaller dice helps them cook through and get those lovely browned edges while staying creamy inside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the diced potatoes and sour cream. Pour in the melted butter. Stir well until every potato piece is thoroughly coated in the sour cream and butter mixture. Take your time here—this is what makes them so rich and creamy.
Spread the coated potatoes out in an even layer on the prepared foil-lined baking sheet. Try not to pile them too high; a single, even layer with just a bit of overlap gives the best combination of creamy centers and crisp edges.
Place the pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 35–40 minutes, stirring gently once about halfway through to re-coat the potatoes in the creamy mixture and expose new edges to the heat.
After 35–40 minutes, check the potatoes. They should be tender when pierced with a fork, with some golden, slightly crisp edges and a creamy coating of sour cream clinging to them. If you’d like deeper browning, continue baking for another 5–10 minutes, watching closely so they don’t scorch.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the potatoes rest for 5 minutes on the counter. The sour cream will thicken slightly as it cools, clinging to the potatoes and making them extra velvety. Serve straight from the pan, and let everyone add their own salt and pepper at the table if they like.
Variations & Tips
If you’d like to dress this up a bit while still honoring the three-ingredient spirit, you can play with the basics. Try using red potatoes with the skins left on for a more rustic look and a bit of extra texture. For a slightly tangier flavor, swap in half Greek yogurt for part of the sour cream (still counting as the same ingredient in my aunt’s kitchen logic). If your family enjoys a little extra richness, dot an additional tablespoon or two of butter over the top during the last 10 minutes of baking for more browned, buttery spots. You can also adjust the texture by cutting the potatoes a bit smaller for crispier edges or larger for a softer, more casserole-like feel. For easy cleanup and to match that Sunday supper, family-style look, always line the pan with foil and give it a light grease; it keeps the creamy bits from sticking too hard and makes lifting leftovers into a container a breeze. If you’re cooking for two, simply halve the recipe and use a smaller sheet pan, checking for doneness a few minutes earlier.
