Potatoes Lyonnaise

I love making tasty food from staples I find in the pantry! When trying to figure out a side to have with our Poule au Pot, I decided upon trying Potatoes Lyonnaise for the first time. Yum! And I had everything on hand to make it (except for parsley, which I ought to remember to keep in the fridge as a staple, because I find that when I buy a bunch I always use it for much more than I think I will.) Not wanting to put a(nother) pot in the oven that is not listed as oven-safe, I changed the approach slightly for this recipe. First sauteeing onions on the stove, then the potatoes, and transferring to a different dish for time in the over. There isn't much that smells better than onions cooking down and getting all carmelized. Spencer appeared in the kitchen a few times just to tell me "mom, it smells DELICIOUS in here!"


Related, does anyone have experience with the new 'green' non-stick cookware that has emerged in the last year or so??


I bounced around between two recipes to arrive at my own combination, driven by quantities of ingredients on hand (a little less than 1/2 a 5 lb. bag of potatoes, and two large onions in the pantry) and trying to not use an entire stick of butter in a single side dish. The end result could have been more heavily salted, which also makes me lean towards trying a version of this with bacon next time! One recipe called for thick (1/2") sliced potatoes and the other for shredded. I met in the middle with thin (4mm) slices but whichever approach you choose, I highly recommend using a food processor. I've had my Cuisinart for 15 years and love it.


Potatoes Lyonnaise
Adapted from Classic Lyonnaise Potatoes Recipe and Pan-Fried Potato Cake with Onions and Bacon

2 pounds baking potatoes, like russets, peeled and sliced
2 onions, julienne
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the potatoes in a pot of salted water. Bring the potatoes up to a boil and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, drain, and cool. Skip this step if you are using shredded potatoes.

In a large ovenproof saute pan, heat 2T butter. When the butter is hot, add the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Saute the onions until caramelized, about 10 minutes. Move the onions into a bowl.

Place the pan back on the stove and melt 2T butter. When the butter has melted, cover the bottom of the pan with 1/3 of the potatoes. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Cover the first layer of potatoes with 1/2 of the onions. Cover the onions with 1/3 of the potatoes. Season with more salt and pepper. Repeat the layering with final 1/2 of the onions and 1/3 of potatoes. Sautee 10 - 12 minutes until to bottoms are golden brown. If you are feeling adventurous, slide the potatoes and onions onto a platter, then place the inverted skillet (or oven-safe dish) on top and flip so the crispy side is on top. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown.

Using a spatula, gently lift the potatoes out of the pan and place on a platter. Garnish with parsley.