Recipe: This potato galette will amaze your guests

A potato galette is a showstopper, with its crispy, scalloped golden-brown exterior and an interior of layer upon layer of fanciness. It’s delicious as a dinnertime side dish or as an elegant part of a brunch menu. Once in Paris, I devoured a wedge as a first course topped with crème fraiche and caviar. Very classy, but it is irresistible served on its own.

For the best results, the spuds should be sliced 1/8-inch thick, the width of a quarter coin. Use a mandoline, a V-slicer, or a food processor fitted with a 1/8-inch-thick slicing blade. You will need a 10-inch oven-safe nonstick skillet, a 9-inch cake pan and either 2 cups of pie weights or a pound of uncooked dried beans or rice). Bon Appetit.

Potato Galette

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced 1/8-inch thick

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided use

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Aluminum foil, nonstick vegetable spray

PROCEDURE

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place sliced potatoes in large bowl and fill with cold water. Swirl to remove excess starch, then drain in colander. Give the colander a shake. Spread potatoes on towels and dry thoroughly.

2. Whisk 4 tablespoons melted butter, cornstarch, rosemary, salt, and pepper together in large bowl. Add potatoes and toss until thoroughly coated. Add remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter to 10-inch ovenproof, nonstick skillet and swirl to coat. Place 1 potato slice in center of skillet, then overlap sliced in circle around center slice, followed by outer circle of overlapping slices. Gently place remaining sliced potatoes on top of first layer, arrange so they form an even thickness.

3. Place skillet over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes are sizzling and slices around edge of cake start to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Spray 12-inch square of aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray. Place foil, sprayed side down, on top of potatoes. Place a 9-inch round cake pan on top of foil and fill with 2 cups of pie weights (or one pound of uncooked dried beans or rice). Firmly press down on cake pan to compress potatoes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake 20 minutes.

4. Remove cake pan and foil from skillet. Continue to cook in the oven until paring knife can be inserted in center with no resistance, 20 to 25 minutes. Be careful of hot skillet handle, return skillet to medium heat on stovetop and cook, gently shaking pan (remember handle will be hot), until galette releases from sides of skillet, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully slide galette onto large plate, place cutting board over galette, and gently invert plate and cutting board together, then remove plate. Using a serrated knife, gently cut galette into wedges and serve immediately.

Source: “The Complete Autumn and Winter Cookbook” by America’s Test Kitchen ($34.99)

Cooking question? Contact Cathy Thomas at cathythomascooks@gmail.com