Potato Pave
Learn how to make Potato Pave, a gorgeous potato recipe perfect for serving as a side dish at a holiday gathering! Under 10 ingredients.
Equipment
- 1 Mandoline slicer (optional, knife can be used)
- 2 Baking sheets (one smaller than the other)
- Parchment paper
- Heavy cans (or other heavy items) for weighing down pave
Ingredients
- 3 pounds smoked bacon thin-sliced
- 6 pounds russet potatoes
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 6 sprigs thyme fresh
- 5.3 ounces Parmesan cheese grated
- ½ cup butter unsalted melted and slightly cooled
- Salt to taste
- Sriracha or other hot sauce for serving
Instructions
- Cook thin-sliced smoked bacon in batches until fried, but not yet crispy, and set aside. Peel and thinly slice russet potatoes using a sharp knife or mandolin. Line the base and sides of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with parchment, allowing the parchment to hang over the sides, and cover the bottom with two layers of sliced potatoes. Drizzle with some of the heavy cream, thyme, Parmesan, and a sprinkle of salt. Cover with a layer of bacon.3 pounds smoked bacon thin-sliced, 6 pounds russet potatoes, 1½ cups heavy cream, 6 sprigs thyme fresh, 5.3 ounces Parmesan cheese grated, Salt to taste
- Top with another two layers of potatoes. Continue layering the cream, thyme, Parmesan, salt, then bacon and potatoes. Continue to repeat layers in this order, finishing with two layers of potato and topping it off with cream, thyme, Parmesan, salt, and melted butter.½ cup butter unsalted
- Fold in the tops of the parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap. Place a smaller baking pan on top (it should fit into the first pan to rest on top of the potatoes) and add a heavy weight, such as cans. Allow to rest for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and remove the smaller pan and weights along with the plastic wrap. Cover the top with foil and bake for 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender. Remove the foil and set it aside. Bake for another 20 minutes to brown the top of the potatoes.
- Add the foil back to the baking pan and top with the smaller baking pan and weights for a second time. Chill in the refrigerator overnight. This step is crucial for the potato pave to keep their shape, so don't skip out on chilling it!
- When ready to make the next day, preheat the oven to 425°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the potatoes to a large cutting board and use a knife to trim the edges.
- Cut the remaining potato pave into small squares.
- Skewer each one from top to bottom with a toothpick to keep the potatoes together.
- Transfer each skewer to the prepared lined baking sheets, making sure they are on their sides and not touching each other. Bake in preheated oven until lightly golden, 10 minutes or so. Gently flip and bake another 10-15 minutes until crisp and golden. Rest on paper towels to drain excess oil. Serve sprinkled with fresh thyme and hot sauce, and enjoy!Sriracha or other hot sauce for serving
Notes
- I often use the oven for cooking large batches of bacon. It is so much easier than frying a few in a skillet at a time. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or two with aluminum foil to catch the grease for easy cleanup and top with wire racks. Arrange the bacon in a single layer, not overlapping, on the racks and bake until fried, but not crispy, about 14 minutes. You still want them pliable enough to layer over the potatoes without crumbling.
- I added a little salt between the layers to help bring out the flavors. Be careful not to overdo it with the saltiness of the other ingredients!
- The layers of potatoes and bacon are compressed between baking with the help of weights on the top. I covered the layers with a smaller baking dish and hand weights. Cans or anything else heavy would work well.
- Make sure to use a sharp knife to cleanly cut the squares.
- I used toothpicks to hold together each of the slices, but you can also use mini skewers.
- For slicing the potatoes, you can use a mandolin slicer to save time and make it
Nutrition
Serving: 1paveCalories: 92kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 5gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 210mgPotassium: 219mgVitamin A: 125IUVitamin C: 2.2mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 0.5mg
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