LC Empty Larder or Lazy Cook Note
Truth be told, we also make this lovely side dish with some frequency, but without the garlic and with olive oil or bacon drippings in place of butter. But that’s just us. Only the original was Julia-approved.
A Potato Dish for Julia
Ingredients
Directions
Peel the potato(es) and slice them very thin.
Peel and mince the garlic. Using the flat of your chef ’s knife, smash the garlic along with a little salt on your cutting board until a paste forms. Work about 2 teaspoons of the butter into the paste.
Heat 2 teaspoons of the butter in a small, preferably well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Place half of the potato slices in the skillet, overlapping them slightly and covering the bottom of the skillet. Lightly season the spuds with salt and pepper, then smear the garlic paste on top. Add the remaining potatoes in the same fashion.
Cook the potatoes gently over medium-low heat, placing a small cover askew on top of the pan. After about 8 minutes, turn the potatoes, which should be brown on the bottom, by removing the cover and setting a small, sturdy plate on top of the pan and flipping the potatoes over onto it. They won’t hold together in perfect shape, but don’t worry. Heat the remaining butter in the pan, then just slide the potatoes back in and arrange them as neatly as you can. Let them cook, semi- covered, for about 5 minutes, and then cook uncovered for a couple more minutes, at which point they should be tender thoughout and nicely browned on both top and bottom. The timing will vary slightly depending on the size of the skillet, the heat of the flame, and just how thick you sliced the potatoes.
Turn the potatoes onto a warm dinner plate and let them mingle with whatever meat and its juices you are having for dinner.
Recipe Testers' Reviews
This is a delightfully simple, quick, and tasty potato dish. Since the recipe didn’t state one way or the other, I used salted butter, along with a little more salt to season the potatoes. I also used one large potato (as I could only find small, large, or gargantuan), and this worked out quite well. I cooked these a little longer than suggested, as they didn’t brown to the extent that I wanted them to be, but I didn’t alter the recipe otherwise. The recipe is perfect as it is. No wonder Julia was pleased.
This has become my favorite side dish. So simple yet, so perfect. What, No cheese? No bacon? EVERYTHING you need is here. If it was good enough for Julia, it must be good enough for us.
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These potatoes are fantastic! Made them last night (in my grandmother’s small cast iron skillet – I’m the third generation to use it) to go with D’Artagnan duck leg confit. I confess to using half regular butter and half black truffle butter. Tomorrow for brunch I’m going to make them again and add the shredded leftover confit. With over easy eggs and a simple green salad it should be great. And perhaps a glass of Champagne.
Perhaps a glass of Champagne? My dear Marion, you had me thinking we were kindred souls until I read that you only maybe will have Champagne with your duck confit and potatoes. Kidding. That all sounds spectacular and you’ve inspired me to do the same. Thank you!
Ha ha — just saw this, Renee. The hash was great and now I know the only way to have it is with champagne. . . ..I do love this site; I’ve put many recipes into regular rotation.
Lovely to hear, on all counts, Marion!
As we are a family of 5 I decided to triple it, wished I had quadrupled it. Tripling it was tight for the 5 of us, REAL tight. But… ohhh so good. And am sorry LC Empty Larder or Lazy Cook but in this case I would have to disagree. As much as I DO love potato slices in olive oil, these ones are winners!
I have made this dish twice in the last week. It has gone on our weekly meal rotation. My husband and I love it, which I was sure of, but what surprised me is how much our three kids DEVOURED the dish!
This sounds sooo delicious. If it was Julia-approved it must be really excellent. I just ate at a Chinese restaurant that Julia used to frequent (in Boston’s Chinatown) and it was excellent.
Anyway, thanks for the memories and the recipe. I have to try this.
RisaG
Our pleasure, RisaG. Enjoy!
This is a good recipe. It turned out delicious, but mine was not nearly as pretty as the picture. I think next time I need to devote more attention to browning it just right, and maybe using a larger cast iron skillet. As suggested, in my “pleasure of cooking for one,” I used my little tiny iron skillet which is about six inches wide. It was a bit awkward for doing the plate-flip-thing.
But anyway, thanks for the recipe. It was tasty and I will cook a tribute to Julia anytime. :)