
Everyone, EVERYONE, deserves their dream potato. And these brown butter potatoes are mine. They are crispy on the outside, creamy in the center – dripping with a lemony, garlicky, honey brown butter and layered with thyme and rosemary. Think of it as me taking all of the things I think a potato should need – and then dumping it on a bunch of roasted potatoes. How could you go wrong?
But since this is my dream potato recipe, I also throw in some fluffy ricotta for textural contrast, as well as some roasted cherry tomatoes for some much needed brightness and umami. A bite of potato – a bite of tomato, a bit of ricotta, how can this not be the best potato recipe on the internet? Ok ok, I know I’m getting a bit cocky, but that’s just because of how much I love these potatoes. Read on for how to make them!

Table of contents

The ingredients you’ll need for these lemon brown butter potatoes
The ingredients for this potato recipe are simple and easy to find, but they all add their own layer to this recipe. Potatoes at their core are delicious, but when you dress them up with spices, acid and a brown butter glaze, they take delicious to the next level. Here is what this recipe calls for:
- 1 & 1/2 lbs baby potatoes
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp each of nutmeg & cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt as needed
- Fresh cracked black pepper as needed
- Olive oil as needed
- 2 sprigs rosemary, stems removed and finely chopped
- 1 stem of cherry tomatoes on the vine
- 1/4 cup salted butter 1/2 of a stick
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 lemon for juicing
- 2 tbsp honey
- 4 sprigs of thyme, stems removed
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 tsp white & black sesame seeds, for garnish

How to make the crispiest roasted potatoes
This recipe is all about the crispy + creamy marrying together in these potatoes. Baby potatoes have the unique quality of maintaining their soft interior while adopting a golden brown, crispy exterior.
My trick to getting the ultimate crispy/creamy potatoes is this:
- Start with bby potatoes, boil them until they are a little beyond fork tender, just extra soft
- When they have cooled a bit, gently pull away the skins but don’t remove them. This roughs them up for maximum crispness!
- Drizzle with olive oil and your spices of choice – because crispy potatoes need fat to help the process.
- Roast at a high temp (I say 425°F) for 15 minutes, then flip and roast another 15. Don’t be shy to get them really golden!

How to make this brown butter potato recipe
So now you have the tricks on how to make the crispiest potatoes, here is how I bring this whole recipe together. With the right timing, this recipe can be done in tandem with the roasting, so the whole process will take no time at all.
Here is a step-by-step breakdown:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Put a large pot of water to boil. When it boils add a generous handful of salt and the potatoes. Boil for 12-16 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Transfer the potatoes to a parchment-lined baking sheet, let them cool for a few minutes and use your hands to pinch off the skins, leaving them still intact but just barely. This will rough up the potato skin texture and allow them to crisp up better!
- Season the potatoes with the garlic powder, cayenne, nutmeg, salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss to coat.
- Roast the potatoes for 15 minutes at 425°F. Remove the from the oven and give them a flip. Add the rosemary to the potatoes, and add the vine of cherry tomatoes to the bottom of the sheet pan. Put back in the oven and roast for another 15-20 minutes.
- While the potatoes are finishing, make the brown butter sauce.
- Add the butter to a small saucepan on medium low heat. Let it fizz and sizzle for 2-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until you see bits of the milk solids start to brown. Add in the garlic and let the mixture foam up a bit. Stir constantly and remove it from the heat.
- Once off the heat, add in the juice from one lemon, the honey, and the thyme. Whisk to combine.
- By now the potatoes should be done. Transfer them to a bowl and drizzle them with 2/3 of the butter sauce. Toss to coat.
- To serve, spread your ricotta evenly on a large plate. Pile the potatoes in the middle, and drizzle with the rest of the butter sauce. Place the cherry tomatoes on the side or throughout. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately!

FAQ
Yes! But be warned it won’t keep for long. If you make this ahead of time, I recommend boiling the potatoes and making the glaze. Then keep both in the fridge for 24 hours, and remove them from the fridge for the final roast of the potatoes and plating of the dish.
I suggest storing these in an airtight container in the fridge. Fully prepared, this recipe will be good for about 3 days in the fridge. It does not freeze well.
Both of those ingredients are optional – but I’d highly recommend you keep the tomatoes! They break up the richness of the dish nicely, and are a fun and colorful addition to the serving plate.
Absolutely. Just lower the air fryer temperature by 25°F and follow the recipe as written.

Looking for similar recipes?
Good. Because I love comfort food. Here are a few other recipes you might like:



And that’s it for these brown butter potatoes!
If you make them, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3

Lemon Honey Brown Butter Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 lbs baby potatoes
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp each of nutmeg & cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt as needed
- Fresh cracked black pepper as needed
- Olive oil as needed
- 2 sprigs rosemary stems removed and finely chopped
- 1 stem of cherry tomatoes on the vine
- 1/4 cup salted butter 1/2 of a stick
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 lemon for juicing
- 2 tbsp honey
- 4 sprigs of thyme stems removed
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 tsp white & black sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Put a large pot of water to boil. When it boils add a generous handful of salt and the potatoes. Boil for 12-16 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Transfer the potatoes to a parchment-lined baking sheet, let them cool for a few minutes and use your hands to pinch off the skins, leaving them still intact but just barely. This will rough up the potato skin texture and allow them to crisp up better!
- Season the potatoes with the garlic powder, cayenne, nutmeg, salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss to coat.
- Roast the potatoes for 15 minutes at 425°F. Remove the from the oven and give them a flip. Add the rosemary to the potatoes, and add the vine of cherry tomatoes to the bottom of the sheet pan. Put back in the oven and roast for another 15-20 minutes.
- While the potatoes are finishing, make the brown butter sauce.
- Add the butter to a small saucepan on medium low heat. Let it fizz and sizzle for 2-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until you see bits of the milk solids start to brown. Add in the garlic and let the mixture foam up a bit. Stir constantly and remove it from the heat.
- Once off the heat, add in the juice from one lemon, the honey, and the thyme. Whisk to combine.
- By now the potatoes should be done. Transfer them to a bowl and drizzle them with 2/3 of the butter sauce. Toss to coat.
- To serve, spread your ricotta evenly on a large plate. Pile the potatoes in the middle, and drizzle with the rest of the butter sauce. Place the cherry tomatoes on the side or throughout. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately!
Hi! Do you think I could boil the potatoes ahead of time, store in the fridge, then the next day take them out of the fridge and take the chill off a bit then continue on with the roasting part?
So stoked to try these!!
Absolutely! That’s actually one of my favorite ways to keep potatoes on hand!
genius!!