WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
With its crispy exterior crust and beautifully layered presentation, a potato galette is a simple but sophisticated side or brunch dish. For even cooking and great browning, we began our galette recipe on the stovetop and then slid the pan onto the bottom rack of a hot oven. Using an ovensafe nonstick skillet averted the risk that our potato galette would stick to the pan’s bottom. To keep the potatoes from sliding away from one another when we sliced our galette, we included cornstarch in the butter that we were using to coat the potatoes and compressed the galette using a cake pan filled with pie weights for the first half of cooking. Slicing the potatoes ⅛ inch thick is crucial for the success of this dish; use a mandoline, a V-slicer, or a food processor fitted with a ⅛-inch-thick slicing blade. You will need a 10-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet for this recipe. A pound of dried beans or rice can be substituted for the pie weights.
SERVES: 6 to 8
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 2½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced ⅛ inch thick
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1½ teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place potatoes in a large bowl and fill with cold water. Swirl to remove excess starch, then drain in a colander. Spread potatoes on towels and dry thoroughly.
- Whisk 4 tablespoons melted butter, cornstarch, rosemary, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Add potatoes and toss until thoroughly coated. Add remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter to a 10-inch oven-safe nonstick skillet and swirl to coat. Place 1 potato slice in the center of the skillet, then overlap slices in a circle around the center slice, followed by an outer circle of overlapping slices. Gently place the remaining sliced potatoes on top of the first layer, arranging so they form an even thickness.
- Place skillet over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes are sizzling and slices around the edge of the cake start to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Spray a 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 the foil and fill with 2 cups of pie weights. Firmly press down on the cake pan to compress the potatoes. Transfer skillet to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove cake pan and foil from skillet. Continue to cook until a paring knife can be inserted in the center of the cake with no resistance, 20 to 25 minutes. Being careful of the hot skillet handle, return the skillet to medium heat on the stovetop and cook, gently shaking the pan (the skillet handle will be hot), until the galette releases from the sides of the skillet, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully slide the galette onto a large plate, place a cutting board over the galette, and gently invert the plate and cutting board together, then remove the plate. Using a serrated knife, gently cut the galette into wedges and serve immediately.
