Roasted Stacked Potatoes

I saw something similar and decided to try this.  They turned out alright, but it was a lot of work.

First, I used a cutter to create small cylinders of potato and then I ran them through the food processor to slice them thinly.

Then, I coated the slices with olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.  Stacking them in a cupcake tin, I baked them at 350˚F until they were tender.

Allow the potatoes to cool slightly and pile a few into a stack; garnishing with tomatoes, basil and thyme.

Laminated Potato Crisps

These are some of my favourite!  I saw Julia Child make something like this years ago and decided to give it a try.

Start by peeling and thinly slicing potatoes.  I mean really thinly sliced - so thin you can read through it.

Carefully layer one slice of of potato, an herb, a bit of oil and top with another slice of potato.  It helps to roll the herbs (basil, thyme, chives, or green onions) so they're flat and the chips don't warp in the oven.  Bake at 350F until they're golden brown.  Then remove from the oven and sprinkle with sea salt.  Transfer to paper towels to cool and drain any excess oil.

Bon appetit!

Pan-seared Polenta with Chèvre and Thyme

Polenta has a reputation of blandness.  It's a well earned reputation, so you have to build flavour into the dish.

First, bring salted water to a boil.  You can also use veg stock to provide more taste.  Polenta varies in terms of firmness.  Since this will be fried, this dish needs enough cornmeal so that it's not porridge.

Slowly add the cornmeal to the boiling water while stirring.  Or, if you're crazy enough to try to hold a camera and take photos while cooking, you'll need to whisk the mixture to remove the lumps.  Boil for about a minute or two, until it's thick and begins to "blurp."  Then allow to cool and set firm.

Once cooled, remove from the pan and slice into workable chunks.  (It helps to wet the knife before cutting.)  Sear both sides of the polenta in olive oil.

Garnish and serve with flavourful pairings.  I chose the creamy sharpness of goat cheese; the also tangy, yet sweet, aged balsamic; savoury, bright tomatoes and the mildly pungent thyme.

This can easily be made vegan by substituting or omitting the chèvre.  Mixed olives would be an ideal alternate.