Potatoes L'Ami Louis

This wonderful way to do potatoes comes from Patricia Wells' terrific Bistro Cooking (1989).  The original recipe calls for two pounds of potatoes to make a single cake; I specifiy one large potato which is enough for two modest servings.  The original recipe also uses the garlic raw as a garnish along with the parsley.  That's not the sort of taste I want in my potatoes, so I sauté it first.

I always use a typical stamped-steel french sauté pan which can go right into the oven and even onto the table on a trivet.

At L'Ami Louis, the initial sautéing is done with goose fat; duck or chicken would also be good but I just use butter.

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 large potato (baking, such as Idaho), peeled, thinly sliced

• 3 Tbsp. parsley, minced

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Sauté the garlic in the butter until soft (1 minute).
3. Add the sliced potatoes and sauté partially covered for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes begin to brown around the edges.  Toss occasionally.
4. Add a little more butter and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.  They will become crisp and golden.
5. Garnish with parsley.