I learned to make these elegant straw potato cakes when I worked at Bix in San Francisco during the early ’90s. Based on the French pommes paillaison, these crispy, golden brown rounds, garnished with crème fraîche, caviar and minced chives, were a best seller.
This was a fun and flashy dish to execute. You heated a good half-inch of clarified butter in a nonstick pan, drained a handful of shredded russet potatoes, then added them to the pan, the potatoes sputtering and hissing as they hit the oil. When it was time to flip the potato cake, the challenge was to see who could flip it the highest, or who could flip two at a time, with quick double flicks of the wrist. (Believe me, you don’t want to try this at home.)
Unlike latkes or hash browns, straw potato cakes are made without egg or flour or bread crumbs or any kind of binder other than the natural starch of the potato. The cake has to be worked in the pan to get a nice, round, even shape. You have to have a good nonstick pan, otherwise making this dish is a nightmare. You have to pack the potatoes into the pan as they cook and frequently swirl the pan so they cook evenly and you get a beautiful disc of golden potatoes.
Straw potato cakes can be served with crème fraîche and caviar, as we served them at Bix. Or they get be garnished, latke style, with sour cream and apple sauce. They also make a nice substitute for French fries or mashed potatoes as a side with a main course.
Straw Potato Cakes
Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
2 russet potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup canola oil, duck fat or clarified butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Garnishes, such as sour cream, applesauce, smoked salmon and caviar, capers and finely diced red onion
Directions
On a mandoline with a fine-shredder attachment, shred the potatoes and place them in cold water just to cover. Agitate the potatoes in water, then drain and add fresh water. This step can be done up to 3 hours ahead of time.
In a 10-inch nonstick pan, heat half the fat over medium heat. Drain half the potatoes, and shake off the excess water. When the fat begins to smoke, remove the pan from the flame, and carefully add the potatoes, evenly spreading them out in the pan (a pair of spring tongs is helpful to do this).
Place the pan back on the heat, swirling it and packing the potatoes with your tongs, so you will have a round, even potato cake. After about 5 minutes, carefully lift a corner of the cake with your tongs. If the cake is golden brown, turn it, and slide it back into the pan. Cook until the bottom layer is golden, about 3 minutes.
Drain the straw potato cake on a plate or sheet pan lined with paper towels. While it’s still warm, season the potato cake on both sides with salt and pepper. Cut the potato cakes into large wedges.
Repeat the process with the remaining shredded potatoes. Rewarm the potato cakes in a low oven. Serve with your garnish of choice.
