POTATOES ANNA BANANA - Roy Choi

 This was the first dish I perfected as a culinary student, and when I did, I was fucking amazed. It gave me the confidence to believe that I could cook, and that was significant: sometimes you need that little boost, that little moment when you realize that, Yeah, I can do it. In school, we learned to make this with one, just one, very thin layer of potatoes, cooked very gently. For my version, I switch it up a bit and make it more rustic and a little more clumsy, with way more layers than my teachers would have wanted, so you can do it at home. But it’s still an A+.

SERVES 4 TO 6

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 medium-size Idaho potatoes (about 8 ounces), peeled, thinly sliced into disks, and held in water

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Couple of sprigs fresh thyme

Couple of garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over very low heat and add the butter and oil to the pan. When the butter has melted, drain and pat dry the potatoes and begin to layer them in the pan in concentric circles, overlapping them a bit. Generously season the first layer with salt and pepper and continue to layer the potatoes, being sure to season the potatoes between layers. The layers don’t have to be perfect—they can be a little sloppy, even, so long as they cover the bottom of the pan. And it’s okay if the butter and stuff bleeds into everything.

Turn up the heat to medium-high and start to get some action in the skillet. The potatoes on the bottom of the pan will start to brown, and that’s what you want. Cook until they’re nice and crispy, about 10 minutes (check to see how they’re doing by grabbing a spatula and lifting up an edge to take a peek). Then place a plate large enough to cover the pan, or a cookie sheet if you don’t have a plate that’s big enough, over the pan and flip the skillet so the potatoes are crispy side up on the plate. Being careful, slide the potatoes, crispy side up, back into your pan and return it to the heat.

Cook the potatoes just a little more, then place the thyme sprigs and crushed garlic cloves all over the potatoes. Pop it all into the oven for 5 minutes.

Out of the oven, transfer the potatoes to a plate, remove the thyme and garlic, and enjoy with some Jufran (store-bought banana ketchup) or, if you wish, something fancier.