Crispy Spud Cake

Ingredients

• ½ cup (4 ounces) clarified butter (ghee)
• 2 pounds waxy potatoes (about 7 medium), such as red or fingerling
• 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 320°F (160°C). Prepare a round 8- or 9-inch (20- or 23-cm) baking pan or cast-iron skillet by lining it with parchment paper, cut to fit snugly at the bottom. This ensures easy removal and prevents sticking.
2. In a small saucepan, gently melt the clarified butter over low heat. Meanwhile, scrub your chosen waxy potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt. Using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, thinly slice the potatoes to an approximate thickness of 1/8 inch (3 mm). Achieving consistent thickness is crucial for even cooking and a beautiful presentation.
3. In a large bowl, combine the thinly sliced potatoes, the melted clarified butter, and the flaky sea salt. Use your hands to thoroughly toss the mixture, ensuring that every single potato slice is completely coated with the butter and seasoned evenly. This step guarantees maximum flavor penetration and helps achieve that desired crisp texture.
4. Begin assembling the galette by placing the potato slices in the prepared pan. Start from the center and arrange them in elegant, concentric circles. Each new slice should slightly overlap the previous one, covering about two-thirds of it. This initial layer will form the visible top of your finished galette, so take a moment to be particularly meticulous with its arrangement for a stunning presentation.
5. Continue layering the potatoes in this overlapping, concentric fashion until the pan is completely full and all potato slices have been used. Once the layers are complete, place another piece of parchment paper directly on top of the potatoes. Then, find a small, ovenproof skillet, a heavy ovenproof plate, or even a pot lid to place on top of the parchment. This will provide gentle weight, pressing down the galette as it bakes, helping it to compact and form a cohesive “cake” structure.
6. Transfer the prepared pan to the preheated oven and bake until the potatoes are completely tender. You can test for doneness by inserting a skewer or the tip of a paring knife into the center of the galette; it should meet no resistance. This baking process typically takes between 60 to 90 minutes, depending on your oven’s calibration and the exact thickness of your potato slices.
7. To achieve that coveted golden-brown, crispy finish on both sides, you have two excellent options:
   • Stovetop Method: After baking, remove the pan from the oven. Place it over medium heat on your stovetop. Cook, checking the underside periodically, until it reaches a beautiful golden-brown color and crisp texture, which usually takes about 15 minutes. Carefully remove the galette from the heat, invert it onto a serving plate (the bottom will now be the top), and gently peel off the parchment paper.
   • Broiler Method: Alternatively, set your oven to broil. Carefully flip the baked galette from its pan onto a heatproof plate. Remove the parchment paper, then carefully slide the galette back into the same pan (or a clean, oven-safe pan). Broil for 3 to 10 minutes, monitoring closely, until the top is beautifully browned and exquisitely crisp.
8. Serve your exquisite Potato Galette immediately to enjoy its perfect balance of crispy edges and tender, buttery interior. This dish is best enjoyed fresh from the oven.

Notes on Serving Your Potato Galette

This stunning potato galette is incredibly versatile, making it suitable for a variety of meal occasions. It stands proudly as a luxurious side dish, but its inherent richness and deeply satisfying texture also make it a fantastic and elegant vegetarian entrée. While absolutely delightful on its own, its robust flavor profile welcomes a touch of glamour with various toppings that can complement or contrast its buttery essence. Here are some inspired ideas to elevate your galette, or feel free to experiment and share your own creative additions!

• A delicate sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves adds an aromatic, herbaceous touch that beautifully complements potatoes.
• A generous dollop of tangy garlic yogurt offers a refreshing counterpoint, cutting through the richness of the butter.
• Classic crème fraîche or sour cream provides a creamy, cooling contrast that’s always a winner with potatoes.
• For an indulgent and truly sophisticated treat, a spoonful of high-quality caviar adds a luxurious burst of briny flavor and an unexpected texture.
• A generous grating of finely shredded Parmesan cheese brings an umami-rich, salty kick that enhances the overall savory profile.
• Bright and herbaceous salsa verde offers a fresh, zesty, and slightly piquant counterpoint, invigorating each bite.
• Pair it with a sweet and savory chutney for a delightful contrast, or a rich, savory gravy for a more hearty and traditional pairing.

Nutrition Facts (Approximate)

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.

• Serving: 1 portion
• Calories: 371 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 36 g
• Protein: 5 g
• Fat: 24 g
• Saturated Fat: 15 g
• Monounsaturated Fat: 6 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 64 mg
• Sodium: 1415 mg
• Fiber: 4 g
• Sugar: 3 g

Tried this recipe? We’d love to see your culinary creations! Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria on Instagram to share your potato galette masterpiece with our community!

Patty Fabian

Patty described this dish as “luxurious,” comparing it to a “little black dress of side dishes” that effortlessly elevates any accompanying meal. She enthusiastically praised its meltingly creamy interior juxtaposed with an irresistibly crisp, potato chip-like crust. Her family thoroughly enjoyed it, serving it first with veal marsala and green beans, and then enjoying the equally delicious leftovers for breakfast the next day with eggs and bacon. Patty noted that while making clarified butter from scratch adds a bit of time to the preparation, the exceptional depth of flavor it imparts makes the effort undeniably worthwhile. She adapted her approach slightly due to using smaller baby red potatoes, which made achieving perfectly concentric circles challenging, but the final result was still beautifully crisp and golden. She successfully achieved a stunning finish using the stovetop browning method. Despite its rich butter content, she affirmed that this elegant potato dish would definitely be a recurring favorite in her home.

Lisa Bennett

Lisa felt blissfully transported to the “French countryside” while preparing this galette, deeply appreciating its simple, rustic yet undeniably sophisticated French vibe. For her, it proved to be the perfect cold winter evening comfort dish, served alongside a perfectly roasted chicken. She particularly highlighted its ease of assembly and how it consistently emerged from the oven with a silky-smooth, tender interior and a perfectly browned, enticingly crispy exterior. Initially, Lisa considered adding a sprinkle of fresh thyme to the dish but ultimately decided against it, choosing instead to allow the pure, unadulterated flavors of potato, clarified butter, and salt to shine through. She was ultimately glad for this minimalist choice, finding the inherent earthiness of the potatoes perfectly complemented by the richness of the butter. Like Patty, she also enjoyed the delightful leftovers the next morning with eggs, affirming its versatility and universal deliciousness.

Rosemary Wynn

Rosemary wholeheartedly declared the potato galette “delicious, buttery and yummy,” confidently stating that the little bit of extra prep work required for this elegant side dish truly pays off in a spectacularly tasty final product. She was particularly impressed by its beautiful presentation, which she found made it suitable for any table, and the seemingly endless versatility of serving options. Using yellow potatoes and a mandoline, she candidly noted that achieving perfectly uniform, overlapping layers required some practice and might not be perfect on the first try, but even with less-than-perfect layering, the galette still looked appealingly crisp and golden. While her galette didn’t brown as intensely as the photograph, she prudently avoided over-broiling to prevent any burning. Her serving choices included a sophisticated pairing of crème fraîche with black lumpfish roe, as well as a more casual option with ketchup, both of which she found excellent. She also thoughtfully suggested adding fresh thyme leaves throughout the layers or tossing them with the butter for an even more savory and aromatic profile, a modification she plans to try next time.

Jessie Hagan

Jessie described the finished galette as a “gorgeous creation” with delicate layers of potato laced with clarified butter, calling the final browning step the “pièce de resistance” that truly completes the dish. She found the overall execution of the dish easy and the finished result impressively beautiful. Interestingly, Jessie felt there might have been “a bit too much butter” for her personal preference – a rare confession indeed, even from a declared butter lover! She also suggested a slight increase in salt, recommending 3 teaspoons for those who, like her, enjoy a bolder seasoning. The flipping step proved to be a bit of a challenge for her, requiring a partner and careful maneuvering with parchment paper and spatulas to successfully transfer and re-pan the galette for broiling, prompting her to wonder if there might be an easier method. She served her potato galette with turkey Salisbury steaks, mushroom gravy, and a green salad, finding the juxtaposition of the “fancy shmancy” galette with reinvented cafeteria food comically gratifying. For her leftovers, in a culinary move that might make a classic French chef gasp, she ingeniously transformed them into creamy mashed potatoes with a splash of milk, demonstrating the ultimate in leftover ingenuity and adaptability.