This story originally appeared in The Orange County Register.

The homely russet potato is not much to look at — especially when you compare it to the swirling architectural beauty of a head of Romanesco broccoli, or the seductive lipstick-red of a radish. But the russet’s allure lies beneath its skin: a creamy, unblemished flesh so versatile, it can transform into a bevy of appetizing eats using just about any cooking method invented.

Yes, these grubby little tubers clean up real nice.

One of my favorite russet makeovers is the galette, where potatoes take a cue from the Romanesco’s structural swirl. To make a galette, potatoes are cut into thin slices, then arranged in an overlapping spiral to form a circular tart. Between potato layers, you can use your imagination to add aromatics, herbs and cheese to flavor. I love the combination of onions, garlic and rosemary — it’s a fragrant classic that never disappoints in a potato dish. This combo also works well if you plan to serve the galette with meaty main courses like beef and lamb.

Now, it’s true that traditional galettes are prepared with a pastry crust, but this isn’t necessary when you’re using russet potatoes. When the galette is baked, the potato slices act as both crust and filling — the top and bottom layers crisp and brown into a crust all its own, while the galette’s center remains pillowy and light. After baking, the galette is inverted to showcase a smooth, even surface of golden potato goodness. (And I promise, inverting it is a lot easier than you may think.)

There are a few methods for making a potato galette, but the breeziest is baking with a nonstick cookie sheet. The sheet acts as a blank, wide canvas for you to create your masterpiece, and the Teflon coating keeps individual potato slices from sticking to the sheet when you eventually flip the galette over onto a serving plate.

This is also a recipe where you can brush up your knife skills. Making thin, wispy potato slices may take a bit of patience if you’re a newbie, but the end result is well worth it. And don’t worry if your slices are uneven or slivered. You can arrange slices to mask these imperfections – but only if you want. In my experience, the flawed, rustic galettes are the best ones.

ROSEMARY POTATO GALETTE
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

• 3 pounds Russet potatoes
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Rosemary

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Scrub and peel the potatoes, then pat them dry with a paper towel. Slice the potatoes crosswise into super-thin slices, no thicker than 1/8-inch thick (the thinner, the better). Don’t worry if slices aren’t uniform – you can still use them.
2. Place potato slices into a large bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss with your hands to coat.
3. Starting in the middle of your nonstick cookie sheet, arrange potato slices into a circle, spiraling and overlapping potatoes until you have a circle about 10 inches in diameter.
4. Top this circle with half of the onion, garlic, Parmesan cheese and rosemary. Repeat Step 2, making another spiraling potato mass over the first one. Top with remaining onion, garlic, Parmesan cheese and rosemary.
5. Continue to add layers of spiraling potato slices until you have none left. Press down on the galette to help the potatoes settle into place. If you need to, you can tidy up here by removing slices or tucking some slices under others.
6. Bake galette for 45 minutes, or until the top is crispy and has a rich, golden brown color. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
7. When ready to serve, take a large plate and place it over the top of the galette. With one hand on the base of the plate and one hand on the underside of the cookie sheet, flip galette over, so that the cookie sheet is now on top. Remove the cookie sheet to reveal a uniform, golden spiral of potatoes. Cut the galette into wedges. You can serve it as-is, or as a side dish to a meaty main course.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 25th, 2010 at 9:28 am and is filed under Appetizers, Breakfast/brunch, Fruit/Vegetables, In the kitchen, Main dishes, Side dishes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.