Delicious, Easy Cacio e Pepe Potatoes Anna

I have a small collection of favorite cookbooks and within those books, favorite recipes that I know I can always turn to. This potato dish is one of them. Pulled from Deb Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant + Unfussy New Favorites, Cacio e Pepe Potatoes Anna is a galette that looks as good as it tastes. The recipe is SO yummy and pretty easy to put together. Though it does take a little over an hour to cook, it is well worth the wait. Keep reading to see how you can make this at home!

Before you dive in, it’s important to know that you *need* a mandoline for this recipe or you’ll want to give up before you even start. I know because the first time I made it, I didn’t have one… Bad idea! I now own this simple madoline from Target and it does the job. Now, on to the recipe!

Main Ingredients

1/2 cup of finely grated aged Pecorino Romano
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds potatoes
- I used russet, though the original recipe calls for Yukon Gold
- Peeled + cut into 1/8-inch thick rounds on a mandoline

Salad Ingredients

8 cups of loosely packed arugula
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
- Original recipe calls for white wine vinegar, but I only had red + it works just as well

Assembling the Potatoes: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, combine the cheese, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Taste a pinch – it should have a strong salty/peppery kick. This will be distributed throughout the layers.

In a 9-inch, round ovenproof pan (I used a glass pie dish, but the recipe recommends a cast-iron pan), pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil and swirl it up the sides. Arrange the 1/8-thick potato rounds in overlapping concentric circles in a single layer at the bottom of the pan. Between each layer, drizzle 1 teaspoon of oil and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture. Repeat until all of the potatoes are used up, about 4-5 layers. You should have about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture left over at the end – set this aside for later.

Baking the Galette: Lightly coat a piece of foil with nonstick spray and tightly cover the pan with it. Place in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. At this point, the potatoes will be almost tender. Using pot holders, remove the pan from the oven and press down firmly on the top of the foil to compact the potatoes. Remove the foil and save it for later, then bake for an additional 25-30 minutes. The galette should be lightly brown all over after this second bake. Remove and use the reserved foil to press down the potatoes again. Briefly run under the broiler for an even golden brown finish.

Making the Salad: While the galette bakes, toss the arugula with the olive oil and vinegar, keeping the dressing very light. Set aside until the potatoes are ready.

Finishing + Serving: Once the galette is out of the oven, let it rest for a few minutes. Then run a knife around the edge to loosen. Place the reserved foil back over the top, leaving a small hole at the edge. Carefully tip the pan over the sink to drain any excess oil. Invert onto a flat surface with the foil still underneath then flip right side up onto your serving dish. Cut the galette into wedges then top with the dressed greens and sprinkle with the remaining cheese mixture. Enjoy!