PARTNER POST: Reinvent classic potato dishes to create a new holiday tradition. This year, forget the tried and true recipes and show off your cooking skills with a twist on an old favorite.
The layered potato cake with rosemary is sure to be a holiday hit, affordable to make, and will impress even your pickiest eaters.
By Dianna Muscari
Raise your hand if you are looking for ways to wow your guests this holiday season!
Listen, I know the pressure — that unspoken expectation to host a shindig that looks like it came right out of the pages of your favorite lifestyle magazine.
But here’s a little something for you to remember: Those pictures are styled. Staged. Fake. A sham! There are professionals and lighting experts and prop budgets and chefs who all work together to produce that image that you long to reproduce in your apartment kitchen/tiny dining room/shoestring budget.
And yet, there are simple ways to make things pretty and tasty without going over the top or blowing a gasket.
I’ve got the perfect solution: Ditch the predictable dishes and start a new food tradition that will steal the thunder from the old reliable holiday favorites!
You might overlook the simple potato as an ingredient for creating something impressive. They’re not “truffle fancy” or Himalayan pink salt trendy, but they sure are tasty and versatile. {And contain more potassium than bananas, broccoli and spinach with 45% of the daily value for Vitamin C… who knew?!} They’re a guaranteed hit for even the pickiest of eaters and they’re extremely affordable, even when you’re feeding a crowd.
Here’s a simple — yet beautiful — dish that is sure to get some attention at your table this year: Layered Potato Cake.
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- Salt to taste for seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary {or your favorite herb}
- Using a sharp knife or a mandolin, thinly slice potatoes into rounds. Work quickly {but carefully!} as potatoes will begin to discolor once they’re cut.
- In a small saucepan {or in a small bowl in the microwave}, melt butter with the smashed garlic clove to infuse the garlic flavor. Discard the garlic clove and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet {I used an 8 inch} over medium heat. As the oil is heating, begin to place potato slices in a circular pattern, starting with the center. Continue to fill the skillet with potato slices until the entire thing is covered with one layer of potatoes. {Do a nice job as this is the layer that will be the top of the cake.}
- Once the first layer is complete, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and rosemary.
- Repeat the process with the remainder of your potato slices, layering then brushing with butter and seasoning with salt and herbs until the skillet is almost full {or until you run out of potato slices}.
- Let the potatoes brown on the stove top, about 15-20 minutes, then cover the skillet with a sheet of aluminum foil and place in the oven.
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. {You should be able to insert a knife easily.} Remove the foil, and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the top is slightly golden.
- To invert potato cake: Place a plate that is slightly larger that the skillet over the top — wear an oven mitt or use a kitchen towel. Carefully tilt the skillet over the sink, leaving a small gap for the excess oil to pour out. Invert the plate completely. The whole potato cake should slide out onto the plate. {If it doesn’t, flip it over again and run a small spatula along the outside edges of the skillet to loosen.}
