From: Rosalind Creasy

Serves 6

Ingredients

½ cup(s) (1 stick) butter
7 large potatoes, peeled
1 ¾ teaspoon(s) salt
½ teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
2 large purple potatoes, peeled
1 large yam, peeled
1 tablespoon(s) canola oil

Directions

Heat oven to 425°F. Heat the butter in a small saucepan until foamy. Remove from heat, skim off and discard the foam.

Slice 6 russet potatoes to about ⅛-inch thickness. Pour 1 tablespoon butter into a 12-inch skillet. Line the skillet with a layer of potato slices slightly overlapping one another. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and brush with butter. Repeat, adding layers until the sliced potatoes and all but ¼ teaspoon salt are used. Flatten by pressing down with a spatula and sprinkle with black pepper. Bake for 50 minutes and press down again with spatula.

Slice remaining russet, purple potatoes, and yam to about ⅛-inch thickness lengthwise and use mini-leaf-shaped cutters to punch out shapes using cookie cutters. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet and fry the leaf cutouts over medium-high heat until golden around edges. Toss with remaining salt. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 500°F and continue to bake until golden around edges--about 10 more minutes. Run a rubber spatula around the edges to loosen and invert onto large plate. Arrange the yam and purple potato leaves on top to decorate. Serve warm.

Quick Potato Tips

Always bake more potatoes than you’ll need for your meal. Cold baked potatoes can be used for so many quick and delicious meals. Their hearty baked flavor adds something special to any dish. Remember, too, that large new potatoes bake fantastically well, not just Russets. And cold yams are best.

1. Slice them thin, arrange slices on an oiled cookie sheet, brush with garlic and olive oil, add a little of your favorite seasoning, and broil for a few minutes.

2. Cube and toss in salads.

3. Peel, cube, and toss in broth with other vegetables. In 15 minutes, you have a hearty soup.

4. At lunch, serve cold sliced baked potato with sliced avocado. A dash of seasoned salt and a big salad rounds it out.

5. Add mashed cold yams to muffin or biscuit batters.

6. Toss cold yam slices in at the end of a vegetable stir-fry.

7. Add cold cubed yams to soup. They’ll dissolve and make a healthy sweet broth.