A Thin Cake of Potatoes and Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 425F (220C).

Peel the potatoes, then slice them thinly.

I do this by hand but if you have a mandoline you can do it in a matter of seconds.

The rounds should be so thin that you can almost see through them.

Melt the butter in a small pan.

Peel the garlic, then crush it or, if you prefer, chop it finely.

Smooth a little of the melted butter over the bottom of a shallow baking dish or a cast-iron frying pan and cover it with some of the potato slices, overlapping them slightly.

Pour on a little more butter, then season with salt, garlic, black pepper, and a good dusting of Parmesan.

Cover that with a further layer of potatoes, more seasoning, garlic, and Parmesan, then continue layering until you have used all the potatoes.

Finish with butter and a light dusting of Parmesan.

Bake, pressing the cake down very firmly once or twice with a large spatula.

After forty-five to fifty minutes, you should have a deep golden potato cake sizzling around its edges.

Remove from the oven and let it sit to calm down for a few minutes before serving.