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At a glance
- What it is: Basically a casually elegant hash brown for one. An easy 15-minute recipe made from one potato that makes a great base for a wide variety of toppings.
- What makes it special: The classic method that I learned in culinary school yields a French bistro-style galette that’s crisp outside, creamy and tender inside.
- How to make it: Julienne or shred the potato, heat oil in a pan, arrange the potato in a single layer and season it. Flip, add butter, and serve.
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To be honest, most of the dishes you learn to make in culinary school feel a little extra or even outdated in the real world.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:
- Made from one potato
- 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
- No oven required
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 creaminess.
- 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.
Potato galette topping ideas
- Poached egg and prosciutto (pictured)
- Smoked salmon, minced red onion, and capers
- Creme fraiche, caviar, and chives
- Burrata and cherry tomatoes
- Scrambled eggs and your favorite hot sauce
Expert tips and FAQs
Can I make this recipe in advance? What about leftovers?
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.
What if I don’t have a mandoline slicer?
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.
How should I serve it?
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
Summarize & Save This Content On
Classic French Potato Galette (Single Serving)
This is the classic potato galette I learned to make in culinary school. It's crisp outside, creamy inside, and ready in mere minutes.
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
Serving: 1recipe, Calories: 327kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 656mg, Potassium: 722mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 255IU, Vitamin C: 33mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @umamigirl or tag #umamigirl!
If making for a bunch could I slice all the potatos before and then cook to serve that way im not slicing potatoes with guests?
Hi Melanie, yes, you definitely can. Just keep the cut potatoes in a bowl of ice water so they won’t brown, and dry them off before cooking. An alternative would be to make a larger, multi-serving galette using the same basic method but finishing it in the oven so the thicker potato layer cooks through all the way, and then slicing into wedges. But if you’re looking for the elegance of the single-serving galettes (which I am totally in favor of!), pre-cutting is a great idea.
Ridiculously delicious and wonderfully easy! A new potato go-to.