Crispy Potato Roast

My mom always taught me that the presentation of a dish is just as important as the flavor. A nice looking dish will taste better than the same dish without a little extra garnish or flair. Needless to say, I haven't mastered the art of presentation, but this dish sort of incorporates it just by how it's assembled. Thanks to Martha for this one...and Deb for recommending it. The dish requires a little extra effort, as do most Martha recipes, but it's not that difficult if you have time, patience and the right equipment (think, mandolin slicer).


I took some liberties with Martha's original recipe to make it my own. I thought, why not use a combination of sweet potatoes and white potatoes? Why not toss the potatoes in seasonings before arranging them, so they're seasoned all the way through? And what recipe isn't better with some garlic thrown in? I left out the butter, and I found that I didn't really miss it. And I have to say, I was pretty pleased with the result.


Ingredients
2 russet potatoes, peeled
2 sweet potatoes, peeled
3 shallots, peeled
3 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
Olive oil
Onion powder
Red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Peel your potatoes and shallots, and pull out your mandolin slicer.

*Note: you could use a knife and thinly slice them all yourself if you don't have this handy piece of equipment, but it really goes much faster and ensures that all the slices are approximately the same size.
**Note: when you're buying potatoes, try to buy those that are smaller in circumference and about the same size around. This will ensure a more uniform final product.
3. Slice the potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl.
4. Season with a generous amount of olive oil, salt, pepper, onion powder and a pinch of red pepper flakes. This is your chance to season the potatoes before cooking, so don't hold back on flavoring these puppies.

5. Arrange the potato slices vertically in a 2-quart round baking dish, alternating between white potatoes and sweet potatoes. Ensure that the dish you are using packs them in tightly so they remain standing during baking.

*Note: I had to experiment to figure out which dish would fit this amount of potatoes best. I tried a casserole dish and a 9" pie dish before deciding on the 2-quart round.
6. Once the potatoes are arranged, thinly slice the shallots with the mandolin slicer. Arrange them throughout the dish in between potato slices, ensuring that they are well-dispersed.

7. Mince garlic and sprinkle over the potatoes. I attempted to nuzzle the garlic in between potato slices because, if some remained on top, I feared it would burn in the oven.

8. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, watching to ensure that the potatoes don't burn.
9. Remove from oven and place thyme leaves on top of potatoes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and return to the oven for 20 minutes.
*Note: covering kept the potatoes from browning further but continuing to cook and absorb the oil from the thyme leaves. I was amazed at how much I could taste the thyme when the dish was done, considering the sprigs were removed prior to eating!
10. Remove from oven, remove thyme sprigs and serve immediately.