Tri-color Potato Pavé
The Viral Potato Pavé TikTok Recipe from Poppy O’Toole Gets an Update with Three Kinds of Potatoes
I first wrote about this in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It got such a great response, I had to share here.
Potato pavé (the French word for “paving stones”) is a decadent dish long reserved for master chefs and fine dining. This past year, though, thanks to British cook Poppy O’Toole and her TikTok video, the recipe has inspired home cooks around the world to make it themselves, with surprisingly great fun and success.
This recipe takes traditional potato pavé up one more notch, using three different colored potatoes to create a tricolor or ombré effect. The dish takes two days to make with the refrigerator doing some work overnight, so plan ahead. The end result and effort, though, is worth it, creating a decadent and show-stopping potato dish worthy of a very special holiday dinner.
Ingredients
2 sticks salted butter
8 garlic cloves, grated
5 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, plus 16 small sprigs for garnish
1 large purple sweet potato (12-ounces to 1 pound), washed
1 large sweet potato (12-ounces to 1 pound), washed
2 tablespoons All-Purpose flour
1 large Russet potato (12-ounces to 1 pound), washed
1½ teaspoons Kosher salt
instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees.
Line an 8½-by-4½-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, allowing it to hang over the sides 4 to 5 inches. Spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
Place the butter in a small saucepan and melt over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and thyme. Turn the heat down to low and let simmer until the garlic is softened, about 5 minutes.
Cut the purple sweet potato in half lengthwise. With a food processor fitted with the slicing blade, slice both halves of the potato. Place in a mixing bowl. Pour in one-third of the melted butter mixture and mix with your hands, making sure each potato slice is coated with the butter.
Layer the potato slices in the pan, lining the flat sides along the edges of the pan. Season with ¼ teaspoon of salt every two layers.
Wipe the food processor and mixing bowl clean. Cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise and slice in the food processor. Place in the bowl. Sprinkle the flour on top of the sweet potatoes and pour in one-third of the butter mixture. Mix with your hands until the potatoes are completely coated.
Layer the sweet potatoes on top of the purple potatoes, seasoning every two layers with ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Wipe the processor and the bowl clean again. Cut the Russet in half lengthwise and slice in the processor. Place the potatoes in the bowl and pour in the remaining butter mixture. Mix to fully coat. Layer in the potatoes as before, adding ¼ teaspoon of salt every two layers.
Fold the parchment paper over the potatoes. Wrap the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Bake for 2 hours (insert a sharp knife in the center to ensure the potatoes are cooked through). Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.
Place a second loaf pan on top and weigh down with heavy cans to compress the potatoes. Refrigerate for 12 hours to set.
Preheat the oven to 500°F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.
Remove the cans and foil from the loaf pan. Run a kitchen knife along the outside of the parchment to loosen.
Holding both sides of the parchment paper, lift the pavé onto a cutting board. Trim the sides with a chef’s knife to square up the edges. Slice crosswise into eight 1-inch thick pieces.
Place the potatoes cut side down onto the baking sheet. Bake until the bottom edges are browned, 6 to 10 minutes, and the tops are crispy.
Remove from the oven. Let cool slightly on the pan. Cut in half, if desired, to make the potatoes bite-size. Transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with the remaining two teaspoons of Kosher salt. Garnish with the sprigs of fresh thyme.
Serve.
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