Blog's Category: International, Kid's Favorite, Perfect Breakfast, Side Dish, Vegetarian
I never met a person, who doesn't like potato. Especially fried potato. Here is the most refined, in my humble opinion, form of fried potato - French Crispy Potato Galette. It is very crispy and beautiful on outside and tenderly soft inside.
- To serve two, you will need 8" skillet. Use high-quality stainless steel skillet, such as All-Clad, or your old reliable skillet, either cast iron or non-stick. I used All-Clad. If using stainless steel, make sure it is impeccably clean, because any tiny blemishes will make your potato to stick to it. I always clean my stainless steel with fine metallic mesh sponge to make sure it's smooth like a mirror.
- To thinly slice potato, I used mandolin (see pictures below). If you don't have it, just slice potato thinly, about 1-2 mm thick.
- I used clarified butter and duck fat for frying. It is the best for this recipe. If you don't have it, you can use any combination of coconut oil, avocado, walnut or flavorless olive oil.
- Do not cover skillet with lid at any time during the cooking process, or you will loose that awesome crisp.
- Fresh thyme is often sprinkled, along with salt, when you lay your potato slices before frying. I didn't use it. I encourage you to do the same, if you making galette for a first time. This galette is delicious in its pristine form, just salt and pepper. Then, after you already tried it, feel free to experiment adding herbs or cheeses. Just keep in mind that some additions may easily burn before your potato gets cooked.
- It may seems like a lot of fat used here, but, I'm afraid, you have no choice. We need all that fat to form nice crispy galette.
- Crisp potato galette is often served on a wooden board, cut in wedges. It is a neat presentation, especially if you are serving it as an hor d'oeuvre or appetizer. I usually make my galette for a breakfast and love eating it strait from a skillet, with some sauerkraut or pickles on a side.
- Cooking time is about 7-10 min on one side and about 5-7 min on an other. It is approximation and depends on your cooktop, skillet etc. I cooked my galette on electric stove.
French Crisp Potato Galette
- 2 medium-size potatoes, peeled
- 1 tsp clarified butter (or other high-temp oil or fat of your choice)
- 1 tsp duck fat (or other high-temp oil or fat of your choice)
- some salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Heat butter and fat in a skillet on a high heat until almost smoking. Then take off heat and quickly lay your potato slices, starting from outer circle going inward. Return to heat as soon as it stops sizzling and continue to lay slices, if you didn't finish doing this yet. You should have about 2 - 2.5 layers of potato. Do not forget to sprinkle both layers with salt.
- Switch heat to medium or medium-high and continue to cook without lid. It shouldn't sizzle like crazy, but you should hear nice even mellow sizzling sound. Check the bottom of your galette occasionally with something like a butter spreader, because you don't want to break or poke your galette with a sharp tip of a knife. When it's nice golden-brown, it's time to flip it.
- Before flipping, make sure galette doesn't stick to skillet anywhere. Using same butter spreader, "unstick" edges or anywhere it might stuck. Shake skillet back and force to make sure galette sliding freely in a skillet. Now flip! If you are not experienced in flipping, no problem - cover skillet with a large plate, then turn plate around, together with a skillet, upside down. Now your galette is on a plate and you can easily slide galette back to a skillet.
- Turn heat just a little bit down. Continue to cook galette on an other side. You still should hear light sizzling while it cooks. Don't cover! Cook until bottom is golden-brown. Test your galette with a toothpick to make sure it's soft inside.
- Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper before serving.
- Enjoy!
*******************************************************************************************************************************
IN PICTURES
For slicing I used my hard-working Benriner mandolin. It is the best.
It's all layered and ready to get back to heat.
When edges are golden-brown, it's time to check the bottom side.
Ready! to flip.
Well, it's hard to catch a flip in action, when a cook and photographer is a same person. It was a 99% success with a one tiny slice rebelliously sticking to a side. I left it alone for now. As a punishment, I ate it first, as soon as it was ready ;)
Poking with a toothpick to check doneness.
Process of disappearing of galette just started.
It's so tender inside, while the other site is beautifully crisp!
