Potato Galette

A potato galette is simply thin slices of potatoes, fat, and seasoning layered into a shallow pan and roasted until crusty and browned. It’s traditional to serve alongside a roast of some sort, and definitely do that, because you can imagine crusty, buttery potatoes do a fine job of soaking up meaty juices of almost any type.

But a potato galette also makes a killer meal all on its own, particularly alongside (or underneath!) a tart arugula salad. In fact, invite people over if you make one, otherwise…you will eat the whole thing by yourself. As healthful as a tart arugula salad is, it will not offset the regret of eating an entire galette on your own; I know this from experience.

I make galettes two ways and I’ll leave it to you to decide which you prefer: Just potatoes and butter, or potatoes and butter with cream. Both yield a crispy top and bottom, but the cream version is creamier vs. crispy. The boys in my house prefer the all-butter version, I prefer the cream. It was not a bad weekend enjoying both!

Buttery potatoes make me badly want a glass of wine, so I checked in with my friend Jason Kallsen, social media marketing for The Wine Company and author of The Grilling Man blog, for the perfect wine pairing. He suggests a richer wine but with acid, perhaps a fine-tuned California Chardonnay such as LIOCO Russian River Valley or Chateau Montelena.

I suggest you take his advice and enjoy together al fresco. This is Minnesota’s most perfect outside dining weather, right now. Enjoy!

Potato Galette

Serves 6 as a light meal, 8 as a side dish

Note: Peel and slice the potatoes after you have everything ready to go, so you can work quickly to layer them into the pan. To try the cream version, use 4 Tbsp. (2 oz.) of butter and 1/2 c. of whipping cream. A minced clove of garlic scattered in the bottom of the pan is a nice touch.

1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin with a sharp knife or mandoline
8 Tbsp. (4 oz.) good butter, melted
sea salt + freshly ground black pepper
arugula
lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Drizzle a bit of butter in the bottom of a tart pan. Layer potato slices in the pan, slightly overlapping in a circular pattern, until the bottom of the pan is just covered. Drizzle potatoes with some of the butter, then sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Create more layers of potatoes, drizzling with butter, seasoning with salt and pepper, until all the potato slices are used. Make sure to finish the top with butter and seasoning as well.

Bake galette for 1 hour or until top and edges are golden brown and crispy. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting into it. Serve warm with arugula tossed with a bit of lemon juice, salt, and pepper.