potato galette

Potatoes are the carb of choice here in this house. We eat them many ways: mashed, baked, roasted, au gratin, hash browned, latked, french fried, tater totted— really, any which way, we love them.

We now can add GALETTE to the list. A galette is a french word for a flat, round cake. What you have here is a potato dish with a super-crisp crust and tender slices, which hold together in cake form. It is a great and relatively simple dish to put together. 

The Kids gave it a 9.9 out of 10. (The Boy claims there was a burnt piece hidden somewhere in there...)

Potato Galette
adapted from Cook's Illustrated, March & April 2011

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 1/8-inch thick
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon table salt
½teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450. place potatoes in large bowl and fill with cold water. Using hands, swirl to remove excess starch, then drain in colander. Spread potatoes onto kitchen towels and thoroughly dry.

Whisk 4 tablespoons butter, cornstarch, salt, pepper and rosemary together in large bowl. (I had uneven seasoning issues- so next time I might try seasoning as I layer the potatoes, rather than combining salt and pepper with the butter/cornstarch mixture.) Add dried potatoes and toss until thoroughly coated. Place remaining tablespoon butter in heavy bottomed 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet and swirl to coat. Place 1 potato slice in center of skillet then overlap slices in circle around center slice, followed by outer circle of overlapping slices. Gently place remaining sliced potatoes on top of first layer, arranging so they form even thickness.

Place skillet over medium-high heat and cook until sizzling and potatoes around edge of skillet start to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Spray 12-inch square of foil with nonstick cooking spray. Place foil, sprayed side down, on top of potatoes. Place 9-inch cake pan on top of foil and fill with 2 cups pie weights. Transfer skillet to oven and bake 20 minutes.

Remove cake pan and foil from skillet. Continue to cook until potatoes are tender when paring knife is inserted in center, 20-25 minutes. Return skillet to medium heat on stovetop and cook, gently shaking pan (use potholder — handle will be hot), until galette releases from sides of pan, 2 to 3 minutes.

Off heat, place cutting board over skillet. With hands protected by oven mitts or potholders, using 1 hand to hold cutting board in place and 1 hand on skillet handle, carefully invert skillet and cutting board together. Lift skillet off galette. Using serrated knife, gently cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Note: In order for the potato cake to hold together, it is important to slice the potatoes no more than 1/8-inch thick and to make sure the slices are thoroughly dried before assembling the cake. Use a mandolin slicer or the slicing attachment of a food processor to slice the potatoes uniformly thin. A pound of dried beans, rice, or coins can be substituted for the pie weights.


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