Domino Potatoes
The Domino Potatoes are a new recipe I discovered in Francis Mallmann “Seven Fires” cookbook. I have been making those potatoes, ever since. They instantly evolved from a family favorite, to party essentials. These Domino Potatoes are glorious. If you follow my Instagram account, you would surely have noticed the frequency of domino potatoes pictures. Ha! Crispy and soft at the same exact time. How is that even possible?! Yalla…
3 ingredients; Russet potatoes, ghee and sea salt. That is it! Yup. That’s it. There are no real quantities,… you can prepare this recipe with 1 potato for yourself, or 10! Once you get the basis you can make the quantities you need for your family or party.
Keep in mind to do all the steps relatively fast to avoid the rapid oxidation of the russet potato slices once cut.
Heat the oven to 400F / 200C.
Clean the potatoes with their skin on, dry them, and cut the potatoes into rectangular logs*. DO NOT WASH them once you cut. You need to keep all the starch in the potatoes intact. It is the binder this magic recipe requires to hold and glue the dominoes.
Slice the rectangular logs thinly, using a mandolin or your exceptional knife skills. You will end up with small “domino” segments. Stack them in columns and place them in the baking dish. Tilt them a little bit as if they were falling on top of each others, like cards. Sprinkle generously with sea salt and top each end of a potato column with small dollops of ghee (around 1 teaspoon). Bake in a hot oven (400F / 200C) for 40 to 50 minutes. I remove the potatoes half way through to brush the tops with some of the melted ghee... You will end up with crispy golden potatoes tops and creamy “melt-in-your-mouth” soft bottom, almost like puree. Crazy good. Insane.
Serve immediately.
Repeat tomorrow! ;)
A few helpful notes:
1- I tried to make this recipe with different varieties of potatoes. The best results were with Russet potatoes.
2- Ghee is a type of clarified butter. It is used in notable cuisines for its nutty flavors and high smoke point. It can sustain higher temperatures than regular butter without burning.
3- You can roast the potatoes a few hours BEFORE your dinner / party (2 hours on average). Bake the potatoes with the ghee and salt, brush the potatoes after 30 minutes with the melted ghee… return the potatoes in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside (NOT in the fridge). 10 to 15 minutes before serving, finish to roast the potatoes in a hot 400F / 200C oven.
4 - Save the round trimmings for later, you can put these in a big bowl of water to avoid oxidation and browning, since you’re not going to use them in this recipe.
