Potatoes Anna

Who knew an elegant side dish could be so simple? Honestly, it took me longer to write this recipe down than it did to assemble the whole dish. This potato cake has a thin crust that almost shatters when you break into it, yet the interior is soft and buttery. So perfect.

Ingredients (serves 4):

2 teaspoons (or more to taste) kosher salt

¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

½ teaspoon dried thyme

3 medium russet potatoes, peeled (about 2 pounds or a little less)

¼ cup plus 1 Tablespoon clarified butter, melted

Just a note before you get started: You are only lightly brushing on the butter and sprinkling on the salt mixture. Depending on your taste, you may not need to use all of the butter or salt mix.

Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the salt, pepper and thyme in a small bowl and set aside.

Using the 1 TB of clarified butter, generously lube the bottom and sides of a 9 inch (or so) cast iron skillet.

Slice the potatoes into rounds as thinly as you can (a mandoline is great here). Starting at the center of your skillet, place some of the potato slices into an even layer on the bottom of the skillet, overlapping slightly (make a circle that starts in the center, kind of like how the Yellow Brick Road started). Lightly brush some of the melted butter onto the potato layer and sprinkle with some of the salt mix—how much depends on how salty you like your potatoes. Repeat layering the potatoes until you have about 5-6 layers. FYI, for your last brush of butter, make sure you coat any exposed potato edges on the side so they don’t burn.

Heat the skillet on the stove using medium high heat until you can hear it start to sizzle (about 3 minutes). Press down with a spatula.  Cover the skillet loosely with foil and, using pot holders (safety first!), transfer to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Drop the heat to 375 and cook 15 minutes more.

Remove the foil, pat down the layers with a spatula and cook for 30 more minutes. Remove from the oven. Let cool for just a few minutes and then slide your spatula around the sides of the potatoes and underneath them to loosen. Place a serving plate that is slightly bigger than the skillet on top of the pan. Using pot holders (yes, again), turn the skillet over so the beautiful brown bottom of the potatoes becomes the top. Slice into wedges.