Potato galette

Serves 4 Starters and mains

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Method

Preheat the oven to 160C/ 140C F/Gas 3. Line a 22cm pan with baking paper. In a pan, melt the butter on the hob (see cook’s note, below). Scrub the potatoes and slice thinly, about 2mm thick, with a mandoline ideally. Toss them in a bowl with the clarified butter and salt until coated.

Starting in the centre of the pan, lay the potatoes in concentric circles, each new slice overlapping the previous one by about two thirds. This is your presentation layer, so you want to make it as tidy as possible. Continue to layer the overlapping potatoes until the pan is full and you’ve used all the potato.

Put another square of baking paper on top, followed by an ovenproof plate or lid of a pot to provide weight to press down the galette. Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted in the centre meets no resistance.

Once cooked, colour the base on the hob or under the grill. For the hob method, place the pan over a low heat, checking the colour periodically. For the grill method, turn out the galette, invert it back into the pan, drizzle with olive oil and place under the grill until coloured.

Serve immediately. If serving the next day, once cooked, skip the colouring step, place a small weight on top and press the galette and chill overnight. The next day, turn it out, cut into portions and colour the top in a high-heat oven or in a pan.

Cook’s note
To clarify butter, melt the butter over a low heat. Simmer and skim off the foam that rises to the top. Line a sieve with muslin and strain into a container. The butter reduces by around one third in the clarifying process.