One of the great things about living in Michigan is our abundant lakes - we are the Great Lake State after all. This week, I made some of the whitefish I purchased from Bay Port Fisheries, which has been in business on the shores of Lake Huron since 1895. I did use thin lemon slices as seasoning, which will never, ever be local in Michigan, but citrus is in season right now so that's all right with me. As sides, I had some pickled brussels sprouts I put up on Christmas Eve that I bought from Goetz Farm, and good ole Michigan potatoes I bought at Meijer made into Potatoes Anna. Potatoes Anna
8 medium Michigan potatoes, peeled
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Using a food processor with a slicing blade, slice potatoes as thinly as possible, 1/4 inch thick or thinner. (Do not place sliced potatoes in water; the starch is needed to bind the layers.). Brush bottom of a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with some of the butter. Starting in center of pan, arrange potato slices, slightly overlapping, in circular pattern, covering surface. Brush with some more of the butter; season well with salt and pepper. Repeat for two more layers. Place over the stove burner on high heat until butter in pan sizzles, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to oven; bake until potatoes are fork-tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Run a small spatula around edges of potatoes; slide large spatula underneath potatoes to loosen. Carefully invert onto a plate, and cut into wedge
I cleaned out my kitchen closet over the break and noticed how many small kitchen appliances I have, such as a food processor and a stick blender and all their attachments. I also just got a brand new blender. Now that I can find everything, I need to make better use of them! While you could use a knife for this recipe, slicing the potatoes this thinly and consistently would be tedious and a challenge. It's the perfect job for a food processor - so dig it out and use it. What else can I use my food processor for? Your thoughts?
I like the idea of cast iron skillet and baking the potatoes. So simple.
ReplyDeleteAfter an incredibly long hiatus in the nether regions of the lowest cupboard, the "other" food processor attachments were located this summer just in time for zucchini season! If I had been forced to shred all of those zukes by hand, my arm may have fallen off. The grater attachment was a godsend since I shredded and froze enough zucchini for 15 loaves of bread for holiday presents!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous way to take advantage of the lakes! I've been splurging on citrus these last few weeks and will put up some Meyer lemons in the next few days. Now to get some fish!
ReplyDeleteI use my mandoline for slicing really thin potatoes or onions. I use the food processor to grate/shred cheese, carrots, zukes, make bread crumbs, chocolate, chop nuts, make pie crust and almond/peanut butter. I use my processor almost every day.
ReplyDeleteYour potatoes look perfect, by the way!