This oven baked 4-ingredient thyme buttered new potatoes recipe is exactly the kind of simple classic my brother throws together for weekend brunch, and every single time the pan is practically licked clean. It’s nothing fancy—just tender new potatoes, plenty of melted butter, fresh thyme, and a good sprinkle of salt—but the way the edges get crispy and golden in the oven makes them feel special. This is a very homey Midwestern style side dish: easy, reliable, and perfect for feeding a hungry family or a table full of friends without a lot of fuss.
These thyme buttered new potatoes are wonderful next to scrambled or fried eggs, bacon, and toast for brunch, but they’re just as at home beside roast chicken, grilled pork chops, or a simple green salad for dinner. I like to serve them right in the metal baking pan so everyone can scoop up some of the melted butter and thyme from the bottom. A bowl of fresh fruit or a side of steamed green beans balances the richness nicely, and if you’re serving a crowd, they pair well with just about any egg bake or breakfast casserole.
Oven-Baked Thyme Buttered New PotatoesServings: 4
Ingredients
2 pounds small new potatoes, scrubbed and halved (or quartered if large)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems and loosely packed
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Place a metal baking pan (about 9x13 inches or similar) on the middle rack while the oven heats so the pan gets hot.
While the oven and pan preheat, scrub the new potatoes well and pat them dry. Cut them in half; if some are much larger, cut those into quarters so all pieces are roughly the same size for even cooking.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, fresh thyme leaves, and kosher salt until the thyme is coated and the salt is evenly dispersed.
Add the cut potatoes to the bowl and toss thoroughly until every piece is well coated in the thyme butter mixture. Take a minute to really turn them over so the butter gets into all the little crevices.
Carefully remove the hot metal baking pan from the oven. Quickly pour the thyme buttered potatoes into the pan, scraping the bowl so you get every bit of melted butter and thyme. Spread the potatoes out into a single layer, cut sides down as much as possible for extra browning.
Return the pan to the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes without stirring, until the bottoms of the potatoes are deep golden brown and the centers are just tender when pierced with a fork.
Once browned on the bottom, gently toss or flip the potatoes in the pan so the crispy sides get coated in the melted butter and thyme from the bottom. Spread them back out into an even layer.
Bake for another 5–10 minutes, until the skins are crisped and the potatoes are fully tender and lightly golden all over. The butter in the pan should be sizzling around the edges.
Remove from the oven and let the potatoes sit in the pan for 3–5 minutes so they soak up a little more of the thyme butter. Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed. Serve straight from the metal pan, spooning some of the melted butter and fresh thyme over the top of each serving.
Variations & Tips
If you have picky eaters, you can cut back the fresh thyme to 1 tablespoon for a milder flavor, or leave a small portion of the potatoes plain with just butter and salt on one side of the pan. For a slightly lighter version, swap 2 tablespoons of the butter for 2 tablespoons of olive oil; you’ll still get crisp edges with a bit less richness. If you only have dried thyme, use 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons instead of the fresh leaves and mix it into the melted butter and salt before tossing with the potatoes. For extra crunch, leave the potatoes in contact with the hot metal pan as much as possible and avoid overcrowding; use a larger pan or two smaller pans if you’re doubling the recipe. You can also turn this into a complete one-pan brunch by cracking a few eggs into open spaces in the pan during the last 8–10 minutes of baking and cooking until the whites are set. To make ahead for company, par-bake the potatoes for about 20 minutes, let them cool, then finish baking and crisping just before serving so they still come to the table hot, golden, and buttery.
