Potato Galette (c)2011 LaDomestique.com

For my weekly “Whole Foods Market Cooking Boulder” column I’ve written about Pommes Anna, also known as a potato galette. Here is the original article and recipe:

This week I’m welcoming fall with the humble potato. It’s easy to take this tuber for granted, she’s nothing pretty to look at and her flavor is quiet compared to the flashy tomatoes and peppers of summer. The potato has her good qualities, though. At once elegant and rustic, this ugly root transforms, becoming beautifully browned and crisp when cooked with butter. The creamy, earthy flavor of a potato is comforting and deeply satisfying.

My favorite way to prepare potatoes is the impressive but easy Pommes Anna. Though it’s been around for a long time, I first discovered this potato galette in Canal House Cooking, Volume No. 2. Pommes Anna is a simple dish made by layering thinly sliced potato circles into a skillet and sautéing the potato cake in butter until it’s crisp and golden brown on the outside and soft on the inside. The only seasoning needed is salt and freshly ground pepper. Though the dish comes together quickly and with little effort, the final display is truly a thing of beauty.

Specialty shops sell fancy copper pans for the sole purpose of making Pommes Anna, but all you really need is a large nonstick skillet. The ladies at Canal House Cooking keep it simple, but I’m even more laid back about Pommes Anna. I don’t fuss over the size of the potato slices or worry if my galette is more oval than circular. Don’t be intimidated by flipping the galette, either. Just do it swiftly, with purpose and confidence.

Pommes Anna is perfect for a weeknight supper. Serve it with a fried egg or roast chicken. For me, the perfect accompaniment is a salad of vibrant mixed greens. Simply toss the salad with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a splash of high quality extra-virgin olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Sometimes the simplest meals are the best.

Potato Galette

Serves 2

2 russet potatoes, peeled, weighing about 1 pound total
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Use a mandolin to slice the potatoes into thin circles. Starting in the center of the skillet, arrange the potato slices in concentric circles by snugly overlapping one on top of another. Once the whole skillet is lined with potato, dot the galette with the remaining tablespoon of butter and sprinkle generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Return the skillet to the stovetop and cook over medium-high heat until the potatoes are nicely browned on the bottom, about 10-15 minutes. Make sure the potatoes don’t burn but occasionally lifting up the edge and taking a look underneath.

It’s time to flip the galette and cook the other side. Remove the skillet from the heat and place a dinner plate on top to cover the potatoes. Swiftly flip the skillet over onto the plate. Slide the galette off the plate, back into the skillet, browned side up. Transfer the skillet into the pre-heated oven and cook for about 12 minutes, until browned on the bottom. Serve the galette hot and crispy from the oven, sliced into wedges.

Ingredients for Potato Galette (c)2011 LaDomestique.com

Slicing Potatoes Thinly with a Mandoline (c)2011 LaDomestique.com