![Freshman Milan Earl and sophomore Lucy Kaplan sit with their grandparents at Archer’s annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day Friday, March 15. The event took place over three 75-minute sessions. “[I hope my grandparents] gain an understanding about what I do, Kaplan said, because I know they ask a lot of questions and can sort of see what I do in school and what the experience is like to be here.](https://archeroracle.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/grandparents-day-option-2-1200x800.jpg)
Potatoes are a simple and comforting food. In every season, there is another new potato dish that is comforting and hearty. Fall and winter bring to mind warmer and heartier dishes, whereas in spring and summer, lighter and chilled dishes are better suited.
February is chilly. The air has a wintery crisp making one want a clean and warm dish. Aside from the usual mashed potatoes, this Oracle writer wanted to make a dish that was warm, comforting, simple and delicious.
First, the writer created mashed potatoes with an amount of butter and cream not for the faint of heart. They were delicious, but they were not an unusual dish. Small gold potatoes tossed with olive oil, salt and rosemary makes a delicious meal, but it didn’t satisfy the need for an original and comforting dish.
With the discovery of the old French dish, pomme anna, a new dish was begged to be cooked. Potatoes cooked in the fat of butter? Yum!
The dish seemed a mix of mashed potatoes and roast potatoes and was made up of thinly cut potatoes layered with purified butter and salt and pepper . The final result was creamy with a nice, crunchy top. Here is the recipe:
Isabel’s Winter Potatoes
Ingredients
15 Yukon gold potatoes
1/4 cup clarified butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. To make purified butter, slowly cook a stick of butter until the white, foamy diary rises to the top. Use a spoon to skim off the diary. What remains is the oily purified butter.
2. Next, peel and thinly slice the potatoes. (Note: When working with peeled potatoes it is best to put them in a bowl of cool water. This keeps them fresh. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.)
3. Take an 8 inch sauté pan and liberally brush it with the purified butter. Put a layer of the thinly sliced potatoes on top of the butter and brush them with more. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Repeat until the potatoes are done or until the pan is full
4. Put them on the stovetop and cook for 3 to four minutes. Place this dish in the oven and cook for thirty minutes.
5. When finished, drain out the excess oil and turn onto a plate. Serve warm.
