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A perfect potato galette is practically a core life skill. This single-serving recipe is a great way to turn one lonely potato into the base of a casually elegant meal.
Why you’ll love this recipe
To be honest, most of the dishes you learn to make in culinary school feel a little extra or even outdated in the real world. But in my opinion, the potato unit really nails it — especially with the potato galette.
My take on this classic recipe dials in the ease and flavor profile. It’s:
- Crisp outside, with a gently creamy interior
- The very picture of elegant simplicity
- Easy to customize with toppings or additional flavors
- Ready in about 15 minutes
Video: How to make a potato galette
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- One medium potato. While a starchy Russet potato would be traditional (and you’re more than welcome to use this style), I like to use a Yukon Gold or other gold-fleshed potato, which has a nice combination of starch and
- Safflower oil. Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend.
- Fine sea salt (or truffle salt!) and freshly ground black pepper.
- Cultured, salted butter. Use a really good-quality butter if you can. Here and virtually everywhere, I start with a cultured, salted butter from grass-fed cows. This sounds fancy but doesn’t have to be. Kerrygold, for example, is sold in most supermarkets at a reasonable price.
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make a quick and easy potato galette. You can see all the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Julienne the potato with a mandoline slicer.
- Heat the oil and arrange the potatoes in a single layer. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
- Cook until golden brown underneath, then flip.
- Add butter and continue cooking until golden on the other side and creamy inside. That’s it.
Expert tips and FAQs
This recipe is quick to make, and its crispy-creamy texture is a big part of its charm. So I don’t recommend making it in advance. I doubt you’ll have leftovers, but if you do, can can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week and reheat and re-crisp in a toaster oven.
No problem! You can shred the potato on the large holes of a box grater. It’s a little less elegant but tastes equally fabulous.
As pictured, I love to top my potato galettes with a poached egg or two and some thinly sliced prosciutto. Other great contenders include smoked salmon (plus maybe some minced red onion and capers), a dollop of sour cream, and maybe even a little bit of caviar.
More great ways to use that mandoline
- Shaved fennel salad with lemon caper vinaigrette
- Raw beet salad with walnuts and goat cheese
- Crispy baked French fries
Potato Galette
Equipment
- 1 Mandoline slicer (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, (about 8 ounces/227 grams)
- 1 tablespoon safflower oil
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, (or upgrade with truffle salt)
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons butter
Instructions
- Cut the potato into matchsticks using the small julienne blade of your mandoline slicer. Blot the potato with several layers of paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
- Add the oil to the pan and set over medium heat until the oil thins.
- Arrange the potato in an even layer to coat the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper.
- Cook, undisturbed, until the bottom is golden brown and the potato on top shows evidence of beginning to cook through — it will start to look softer and slightly more translucent. This should take about five minutes but will depend on the heat of your burner and the quality of your pan.
- Flip the galette. You can do this with one or two thin metal spatulas, or by carefully placing a plate on top of the pan, turning the pan over so the galette lands on the plate, and then gently sliding it back into the pan.
- Add the butter to the edge of the pan and let it melt and slide under the galette.
- Continue cooking until the underside is golden brown, typically about three to four minutes more. The outsides of the galette will be crispy and the insides will retain a gentle creaminess.
- Slide onto a serving plate and top as desired. I love to add a couple of poached eggs and maybe some prosciutto.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- While a starchy Russet potato would be traditional (and you’re more than welcome to use this style), I like to use a Yukon Gold or other gold-fleshed potato, which has a nice combination of starch and
- Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend.
- To instantly elevate this dish, try substituting truffle salt for the fine sea salt.
- Use a really good-quality butter if you can. Here and virtually everywhere, I start with a cultured, salted butter from grass-fed cows. This sounds fancy but doesn’t have to be. Kerrygold, for example, is sold in most supermarkets at a reasonable price.
Process notes
- If you don’t have a mandoline slicer, you can use the large holes of a box grader to shred the potato. If you do have a mandoline and would prefer to use the regular slicing blade to make thin rounds of potato, that’s a great option, too. Use the thinnest setting if your mandoline is adjustable.
- This recipe is quick to make, and its crispy-creamy texture is a big part of its charm. So I don’t recommend making it in advance.
- I doubt you’ll have leftovers, but if you do, can can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week and reheat and re-crisp in a toaster oven.
Serving suggestions
As pictured, I love to top my galette with a poached egg or two and maybe some proscuitto. Other great choices include smoked salmon, sour cream, and even a little bit of caviar.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
