French Potato Pavé

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The Potato Pave is a French potato dish used by the best chefs to add texture and flavor to a dish. A pave is a culinary technique done by thinly slicing an ingredient and layering it to make a wonderfully textured block then fried until crispy. Also known as a “thousand layer potato” the dish was popularized by Chef Thomas Keller. The dish can be quite complicated to make but with a few easy techniques it can be a breeze. 

Items Needed are:

• Mandolin

• 2 Loaf pans

• Potato Peeler

• Large Bowl

• Fry pan

• Plastic Wrap

• Tin Foil

• Mortar and Pestle

Note The Mandolin is not a common household item so it can be replaced with a knife; although the dish will not turn out as good it can work if needed.

Ingredients needed are: 

• 10 whole russet potatoes,

• 1 cup melted butter

• 20 dried Chile de arbol

• 6 tbsp salt

• 3 tbsp garlic powder

• 2 tbsp cracked black pepper

• Large Amount of Neutral Oil

Step One:

Peel the skin off of the potatoes trying to keep as much potato possible; once done, set aside for later use. De-seed the dried red chilies. You can keep the seeds and use them as red chili flakes. grind the chilies with mortar and pestle until they turn into a powder. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the ground chilies to create your flavorful seasoning blend.

Step Two:

With your mandolin thinly slice your peeled potatoes trying to get them as thin as possible. You are trying to make the potatoes so thin you can see through them. Place the potatoes in a bowl of water to soak once sliced. Soak potatoes for at least 30 minutes to remove some starchy flavor.

Step Three:

Once potatoes have been cut and soaked, remove from water and pat dry. Layer the dry potatoes in one loaf pan; add melted butter after every full layer of potatoes, brushing it on making an even coat on each layer. Sprinkle seasoning mix every few layers trying to make it as even as possible, you do not want a bunch of seasoning in one place.

Note The amount of seasoning you put determines the spice level on the potatoes.

Step Four:

Once all the potatoes are layered and stacked up, cover in tin foil and bake in the oven at 400 for around 30 minutes or until you can slide a toothpick into the middle with low resistance. 

Step Five:

Once baked remove tin foil and place plastic wrap on top of the potatoes. Weigh down with the other loaf pan and add something heavy on top; like canned food, books, or whatever you can find that will add weight to hold the potatoes down. Place into the fridge with weights overnight or for at least 5 hours.

Step Six:

Once rested and pressed down cut edges to create a uniform rectangular shape. Once cut shapes of your choosing; some of my favorites are squares and thin rectangles.

Step Seven:

Fry in a neutral oil for around 2 minutes or until golden brown and crispy, plate however fits your dish and enjoy.

Note The next few photos are examples of dishes I have created with this recipe.

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