A Twist on my Potato Pancake

The shredded pancake recipe I originally tried was from Giada on Everyday Italian.  It turned out great but I've only made it once.  Maybe I thought it was hard or I don't feel confident when I looked back upon the recipe so I didn't try it again.  A lot of the time when I finally do make a recipe that I have been avoiding again I realize how easy it was and how much I like it which is the reason I added it to my cookbook in the first place.  I just recently saw Ann Burrell from Secrets of a Restaurant Chef do a potato pancake but with thinly sliced potato rounds, done on a mandolin like you do in a gratin so I decided to give this method a try.  Shredding potatoes means I have to take out the food processor and squeeze out all the liquid which if you don't get all the water out they don't brown perfectly.  Slicing the potatoes avoided this step which I liked.  Since I have a new nonstick All Clad pan with a lid I thought this would be the perfect test and it was.  I slid out like butter and although I didn't let it brown enough it was still very tasty.  Instead of serving for breakfast, I served it as a side dish with my Ugly Ribs and Roasted Brussels Sprouts.  Winner Dinner.  The recipe below is my original recipe, the cooking method note is the latest version, basically the same but without the onions, salt and with garlic salt vs. garlic.

PARMESAN POTATO PANCAKE
2 T. EVOO
½ large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. salt
½ t. freshly ground black pepper
2 russet potatoes, grated
1 C. Parmesan, grated

Warm 1 T. oil in a large (10-12 inch) nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add onions and cook till translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Move mixture to a bowl and set aside. Don’t wash pan, will be used to cook pancake.

Wash, peal and grate potatoes. Place potatoes between 2 paper towels and squeeze out water. If needed change towel and squeeze again. Add potatoes to onion bowl. Add Parmesan. Mix.

Warm 1 T. oil over high heat in onion pan (no need to wash). When hot add potato mixture. Press mixture down into the pan firmly and evenly. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until the bottom is golden brown and the pancake can move in the pan, about 12-15 minutes. Turn heat down to medium low if browning too quickly. Place a large plate over top of pancake and flip out onto pan. Turn the heat on the pan back up to high. When hot slide the pancake back into the pan and cook until the bottom is golden about 12-15 minutes. Slice into pie shapes.

Cooking Method:  Slice 3 potatoes in thin rounds with a mandolin. Layer EVOO, potatoes (starting with a center round and adding circles till pan is full), garlic salt, pepper, Parmesan, repeat, ending with spices not Parmesan. Brown on stove top then place in a 425˚F for 20-25 minutes. Remove, place lid on pan and drain oil, flip cake onto lid, remove pan carefully and slide potato cake back into pan. Place back on stove to brown, what was the top of the cake, for 10 minutes.

Potato cake, showing how the potatoes are layered in a circular pattern.

Potato cake out of the oven.

Potato cake topped with Parmesan and then placed back on the stove top to brown the bottom.