I love potatoes for so many different reasons.  They’re cheap, versatile, healthy, and full of flavor. They can be mashed, boiled, baked and fried – and the leftovers can be turned into something else entirely (potato pancakes!).  I love that I can toss a potato in the oven and not do another thing to it and it turns into something wonderful!  So it’s really no wonder that potatoes – in one form or another – are one of my favorite side dishes.

This potato dish (known to some as Potato Oven) is very simple to make but looks as if you put a lot of effort into it.  It’s also quite versatile – you can add garlic, parmesan, shredded cheese or any number of herbs and spices.  I usually dress it up if my main course is something simple, and keep the flavors simple if I don’t want the flavors to compete.  Either way, the presentation itself makes it something worth serving!

potatoes anna (aka potato oven)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Overlap potato slices in a circular pattern using a greased 8-inch pie plate.  Pay special attention to the layers on the bottom, as these will be the top of the finished dish once it’s flipped out of the pan.

Press the potatoes down firmly to make them more compact.

Stir together the salt and melted butter.  Drizzle over potatoes.

Cover plate tightly with foil, and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and bake an additional 60 minutes or until potatoes are very tender and crusty (the amount of time it takes depends a great deal on how thin you slice your potatoes).  Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes.

Carefully loosen the potatoes from the pie plate.  Place an inverted serving plate over the potatoes.  Holding both plates, invert “pie” onto the serving plate.  Cut into wedges and serve.

And one final thing I forgot to mention…you can make these in individual-sized casserole dishes (large ramekins) and they look great for a holiday or dinner party!