Pommes de Terre Byron, a.k.a. Golden Potato Pancake

“The dirty little secret is that I grew up in a household where there were no carbohydrates allowed, ever. No cookies, no bread, no potatoes, no rice. My mother was very extreme in terms of what she served. Since I left home more than 40 years ago, I've been making it right for myself.”

Ina Garten

Unreal!  I can’t imagine a house with no potatoes!  No matter how you say it, “potato” or “Po-TAH-to,” it makes me happy, happy!

Potatoes go back to 500 B.C. when the Incas grew them, ate them and worshipped them.  They even buried potatoes with their dead, and hid them in concealed bins in case of famine or war, and dried them to carry on their long journeys.  It all makes sense to me…

Heaven to me is a large baked potato, topped with a little butter and salt and pepper or this dish of baked potatoes, which is a traditional French dish, adapted from a recipe by Julia Child and Jacques Pépin for a “golden potato pancake.” 

It may not be pretty, but it’s heavenly delicious!

Ready to bake

Broiler ready

Voila!!!  Ready to enjoy...

Pommes de Terre Byron

Ingredients:

3 pounds of russet (Idaho) potatoes, about 5 large

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon seasoned pepper

½ cup crème fraiche or sour cream

2 ounces grated Gruyère cheese (about 2/3 cup)

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Bake potatoes until soft.

When cool enough to handle, peel potatoes and roughly chop them into ½” to ¾” chunks.

In a 10” skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium heat.

When butter stops foaming, add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.

Turn potatoes to thoroughly mix in the seasonings, oil and butter.

With a spatula, flatten the potatoes to a smooth, solid layer.

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5-8 minutes.

Close to end of cooking time, shake the pan quickly to loosen the potato cake from the sides and bottom of pan.

Place the skillet in preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the top is crusty and lightly colored.

Remove from oven and let rest for a minute or so.

Invert it onto an oven-safe serving platter or baking sheet.

Carefully move oven rack to top position and turn on broiler.

Spread top of hot potatoes with crème fraiche or sour cream.

Sprinkle evenly with the cheese.

Place under broiler and broil until the potato mixture is golden and blubbling, about 3-5 minutes.

Carefully remove from oven and serve.

Bon appetit!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes!