Butter and potatoes . . . what more do you need?
Ingredients:
5 Yukon potatoes, peeled
1 cup oil
butter
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Slice the potatoes in very thin rounds, put them in cold water until ready to use. Heat an 10-inch cast iron pan with a cup of oil (1/4 in deep) or an oven-proof non-stick skillet with 1/4 the amount and put over medium-low heat. Dry potatoes and starting from the center of the pan, overlapping slightly, place slices in a spiral going clock-wise. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper and dot with butter. Repeat another spiral counter clock-wise, season, and dot with butter. Repeat process of layering, alternating clockwise-ness of the spirals, seasoning and dotting, until the potato cake is about 2 inches high. Shake pan lightly to keep bottom from sticking. The potatoes should cook for 30 minutes in the skillet from the start of putting the potatoes in the cold pan.
Lightly oil the outside of a cake pan slightly smaller than the skillet and press it down on the potatoes to compress them. Cover and place in oven to bake for 15 minutes. Uncover, press potatoes again and brown, uncovered for 10 minutes more. Test center of Pommes Anna for tenderness. Hold the cake pan on the potatoes and drain off any butter and oil that is not absorbed. Invert onto a foiled cookie sheet without a rim, and slide onto a serving platter. Slice into wedges and serve immediately.