Garlic Butter Beef Bites & Potatoes is the kind of skillet dinner that feels like a steakhouse meal but cooks in one pan on a weeknight. Tender, juicy cubes of seared beef and golden, crispy-edged potatoes get tossed together in a rich garlic-herb butter that coats everything in flavor.
The potatoes soak up the buttery drippings, the beef bites stay juicy with a gorgeous crust, and every bite hits you with that savory, garlicky comfort-food goodness. It’s simple, hearty, and perfect for nights when you want meat-and-potatoes satisfaction without fuss.
This recipe is also practical: you can use sirloin, strip, ribeye, or even stew beef if you go low and slow, and baby potatoes or Yukon golds all work beautifully. Everything cooks in the same skillet, so you build flavor as you go and end up with a pan full of glossy, garlic-butter-coated beef and potatoes ready for the table. Add a quick green salad or some steamed veg on the side and you’ve got a complete, cozy dinner that feels a lot fancier than the effort it takes.
Equipment
- Large heavy skillet (cast iron works best)
- Cutting board and sharp knife
- Mixing bowl
- Tongs or spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds beef steak, cut into 1-inch cubes (sirloin, strip, or ribeye)
- 1½ pounds baby potatoes or Yukon golds, cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 5–6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt (divided, plus more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (divided, plus more to taste)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
To make Garlic Butter Beef Bites & Potatoes, start by prepping your ingredients so the cooking goes quickly and smoothly. Cut the beef into even 1-inch cubes, trimming away any large, hard pieces of fat so you’re left mostly with tender meat.
Pat the beef cubes dry very well with paper towels; this is key for getting that deep, flavorful sear later, because excess moisture will cause them to steam instead of brown. In a bowl, toss the beef with about half a teaspoon of salt, a quarter teaspoon of pepper, and half of the paprika, then set it aside to lightly marinate while you work on the potatoes.
Wash and dry the potatoes, then cut them into bite-sized pieces—halved or quartered baby potatoes work well, or larger potatoes cut into roughly ¾-inch chunks.
Try to keep them similar in size so they cook evenly. Season the potatoes in a bowl with the remaining paprika, thyme or Italian seasoning, a good pinch of salt, and a little pepper. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter.
When the butter has melted and is bubbling, add the seasoned potatoes in an even layer. Let them cook undisturbed for a few minutes so they start to develop a golden crust on one side, then stir and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until they are crisped in spots and just fork-tender.
If they’re browning too fast before they soften, reduce the heat slightly and, if needed, splash in a tablespoon or two of water and cover the pan briefly to help them steam through.
Once the potatoes are nicely browned on the outside and tender in the center, transfer them to a bowl and tent loosely with foil to keep warm, leaving as many flavorful browned bits in the pan as you can. Wipe out any burned garlic or very dark bits if necessary, but generally you want to keep the fond because it adds flavor to the beef and the butter sauce. Increase the heat to medium-high and add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet.
When the oil is shimmering and hot, add the beef cubes in a single layer, working in batches if needed so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Overcrowding lowers the temperature and keeps the meat from searing properly, so it’s better to cook in two rounds than cram everything in at once.
Let the beef sear without moving it for a minute or two on the first side so a brown crust can form, then use tongs to flip the pieces and continue searing on the other sides until the beef is browned all over and cooked to your preferred doneness.
For tender, juicy bites, medium to medium-rare works particularly well with cuts like sirloin or strip; stew beef will need a gentler, longer cook if you’re using that. As each batch of beef finishes, you can push it to one side of the pan while you finish searing the rest, or remove it to the bowl with the potatoes to avoid overcooking.
Once all the beef is seared and in the pan or set aside briefly, reduce the heat to low and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter directly to the skillet. As the butter melts, stir in the minced garlic and let it cook gently for about 30 seconds to a minute, just until very fragrant and lightly golden around the edges.
Be careful not to let the garlic burn, as it will turn bitter. The butter will pick up all the browned bits from the pan, creating a deeply flavorful garlic butter sauce that’s flecked with the seasonings from the beef and potatoes.
Add the cooked potatoes (and any juices that collected in the bowl) back into the skillet with the beef and toss everything together in the garlic butter so all the pieces are coated and glossy. Taste a potato and a piece of beef and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
If you like a bit of fresh brightness, scatter chopped parsley over the top and give everything one last gentle toss to incorporate the herbs without bruising them. Remove the pan from the heat and let the dish sit for a couple of minutes so the flavors meld and the butter has a chance to cling to the beef and potatoes rather than pooling at the bottom.
Serve the Garlic Butter Beef Bites & Potatoes straight from the skillet or transfer to a warm platter, spooning any extra garlic butter from the pan over the top.
The beef should be tender and juicy with a browned exterior, and the potatoes should be creamy on the inside with crisp, buttery edges and little pops of garlic and herbs in every bite. It’s best served hot, with the butter still warm and the potatoes freshly crisp, but it will stay satisfying even as it sits on the table for people to help themselves.
Tips & Variations
For the best texture and flavor, choose a relatively tender cut of beef like sirloin, New York strip, or ribeye—these cuts sear beautifully and become juicy little steak bites in just a few minutes.
If you do use tougher stew beef, you’ll want to shift to more of a braising or slow-cooking approach, allowing it to cook longer at a lower heat with added broth until it becomes tender, and then finishing with the garlic butter. Drying the beef well before searing and not moving it too soon are two of the biggest keys to getting that deep, restaurant-style crust on your bites.
Potato choice matters too. Waxy or medium-starch potatoes like baby golds, Yukon golds, or red potatoes hold their shape and get creamy inside without falling apart. Cutting them into small, uniform chunks helps them cook quickly and evenly, which is especially important if you’re trying to get dinner on the table fast.
If you prefer extra crisp potatoes, you can parboil them briefly first, drain, and then sauté in the butter and oil until very golden, but the one-pan sauté and steam method is usually enough for a weeknight.
You can easily tilt the flavor profile with a few small tweaks. Adding fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme with the garlic gives the butter a more aromatic, steakhouse feel; paprika leans things a bit smoky and warm; a squeeze of lemon over the finished dish brightens the richness.
If you like heat, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or a dusting of cayenne stirred into the butter will give a gentle kick without overwhelming the garlic. A sprinkle of grated Parmesan over the top right before serving is another simple way to add a savory, nutty note that pairs well with both beef and potatoes.
For a slightly lighter version, you can reduce the total amount of butter and supplement with a bit more olive oil, though you’ll lose a little of that classic “garlic butter” indulgence. You can also toss in some vegetables during the last few minutes of cooking the potatoes—green beans, asparagus pieces, or broccoli florets can all be added to the pan and sautéed crisp-tender in the same garlicky fat. That turns the dish into more of a complete one-pan meal with built-in greens.
Serving & Storage
Garlic Butter Beef Bites & Potatoes is substantial enough to stand on its own, but it pairs wonderfully with a simple green salad dressed in something tangy to cut through the richness.
A side of steamed or roasted vegetables, like broccoli, green beans, or Brussels sprouts, rounds out the plate and adds color. If you want to go full comfort mode, you can serve it with warm bread or rolls to soak up any extra garlic butter pooled at the bottom of the skillet.
Leftovers keep quite well for a meat-and-potatoes dish. Let everything cool to room temperature, then transfer the beef and potatoes, along with any remaining sauce, into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three or four days.
When reheating, the stovetop or air fryer will give you the nicest texture: warm the mixture gently in a skillet with a tiny splash of water or broth, or spread it out in an air fryer basket and heat until hot and re-crisped around the edges.
The microwave is fine for convenience, though the potatoes and beef will be softer and you’ll lose some of that seared texture. This dish doesn’t freeze as beautifully as some casseroles, but you can freeze it in a pinch for short periods and reheat, knowing the potatoes will be softer yet still flavorful from all that garlic butter.
