Layered Potato Cake {Pommes Anna}! This beautiful potato side dish is made of thinly sliced layers of Russet potato flavored with savory garlic butter that are toasted in a skillet until golden brown, then oven-baked to tender perfection. The result is a gorgeous dish that is perfect for a holiday menu!

Raise your hand if you are looking for ways to wow your guests this holiday season!

Listen, I know the pressure -- that unspoken expectation to host a shindig that looks like it came right out of the pages of your favorite lifestyle magazine. The stress is all-too-real.

But here's a little something for you to remember: Those pictures are styled. Staged. Fake. A sham! There are professionals and lighting experts and prop budgets and chefs who all work together to produce that image that you long to reproduce in your apartment kitchen/tiny dining room/shoestring budget.

And yet, there are simple ways to make things pretty and tasty without going over the top or blowing a gasket; little tricks you can have up your sleeve for those times when you want to impress your mother-in-law or make a name for yourself among your siblings.

If the thought of competing for the title of Fluffiest Mashed Potatoes is giving you anxiety, I've got the perfect solution: Ditch the predictable dishes and start a new food tradition that will steal the thunder from the old reliable holiday favorites!

You might overlook the simple potato as an ingredient for creating something impressive. They're not "truffle fancy" or Himalayan pink salt trendy, but they sure are tasty and versatile. {And contain more potassium than bananas, broccoli and spinach with 45% of the daily value for Vitamin C... who knew?!} They're almost a guaranteed hit for even the pickiest of eaters and they're extremely affordable, even when you're feeding a crowd.

Here's a simple -- yet beautiful -- dish that is sure to get some attention at your table this year: Layered Potato Cake.

Isn't it pretty?

I promise you I didn't have a stylist work their magic to prepare this beauty for her close-up, she's just a natural. Layered slices of Russet potato stacked and seasoned and roasted until tender. Here I used the simple combination of salt and rosemary {and a tiny hint of garlic}, but you can flavor this in a variety of ways with your favorite herbs, spices and even cheese.

The most difficult part of this dish is slicing the potato into thin rounds, but buying a mandolin makes this task a breeze. {Just watch your fingers, those things are sharp!}

This holiday, you can have your {potato} cake and eat it, too! But not before you show it off at your dinner table. Even if this doesn't turn out magazine perfect, it'll still be delicious!

Layered Potato Cake {Pommes Anna}

The Kitchen Prep

Makes a medium sized potato cake if you use a medium to small skillet or 4-6 small slices

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 1 cake

Ingredients

1 tablespoons olive oil
3 large russet potatoes scrubbed and dried
4 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic smashed
Salt to taste for seasoning
½ teaspoon chopped rosemary {or your favorite herb}

Instructions

Prep Potatoes:

Using a sharp knife or a mandolin, thinly slice potatoes into rounds. Work quickly {but carefully!} as potatoes will begin to discolor once they're cut.

Prep Butter:

In a small saucepan {or in a small bowl in the microwave}, melt butter with the smashed garlic clove to infuse the garlic flavor. Discard the garlic clove and set aside.

For Potato Cake:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet {I used an 8 inch} over medium heat. As the oil is heating, begin to place potato slices in a circular pattern, starting with the center. Continue to fill the skillet with potato slices until the entire thing is covered with one layer of potatoes. {Do a nice job as this is the layer that will be the top of the cake.}
Once the first layer is complete, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and rosemary.
Repeat the process with the remainder of your potato slices, layering then brushing with butter and seasoning with salt and herbs until the skillet is almost full {or until you run out of potato slices}.
Let the potatoes brown on the stove top, about 15-20 minutes, then cover the skillet with a sheet of aluminum foil and place in the oven.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. {You should be able to insert a knife easily.} Remove the foil, and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the top is slightly golden.
To invert potato cake: Place a plate that is slightly larger that the skillet over the top -- wear an oven mitt or use a kitchen towel. Carefully tilt the skillet over the sink, leaving a small gap for the excess oil to pour out. Invert the plate completely. The whole potato cake should slide out onto the plate. {If it doesn't, flip it over again and run a small spatula along the outside edges of the skillet to loosen.}
*The potato slices fused together enough to flip and cut, but there may be a few rogue pieces that want to get away. Using cheese does act as a "cement" for the pieces, so consider the addition if you're worried about an unstable structure! 😉