I love potatoes. Crispy, fried, baked, mashed, they are a perfect comfort food, if you ask me. For Christmas day I was making a fantastic pepper steak and was reminded of a dinner I had a few months ago in Vancouver where there were these amazing thinly sliced potatoes. I wasn't exactly sure how they did it, but then I remembered this recipe I saw in an issue of Bon Appetit, and decided to try it. At first, I wasn't sure how I was going to get the potatoes sliced thinly enough because I don't have a mandolin, but then I remembered that my ancient little Cuisinart food processor had a slicer blade, and I was good to go.
You really want these potatoes sliced thinly, so if you don't have a food processor it could be a challenge. They bake up all crispy and browned on the bottom, fragrant with bay leaf, and topped with simple cracked pepper and a good salt, they are SO delicious. I even had to make another pan the next day because there just wasn't enough.
Adapted from Bon Appetit
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3 1/2 pounds of russet potatoes
about 24 fresh or dried bay leaves
freshly cracked pepper and salt
Grease a cast iron pan or 13x9 inch baking dish with 2 Tbsp butter and pre-heat oven to 425 F. I actually used a glass dish and it was fine, so you could go that route too.
Peel the potatoes and using either a mandolin or food processor, thinly slice the potatoes to about 1/8th of an inch thick.Place the potatoes in the pan, fanning them like a deck of cards and lining them up in a row as you go. Once you've filled the pan, tuck bay leaves here and there in among the potatoes, drizzle them with 4 tbsp melted butter, then sprinkle with a good bit of salt and fresh cracked pepper.
Bake for about 30-45 minutes, until the bottom and edges are browned and crispy.
Makes about 8 servings.
