Crispy Spiral Potatoes in a Cast Iron Pan

These spiral potatoes are easier than they look and perfect for customizing with whatever ingredients you have on hand.

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen me make a certain potato dish a few times recently—spiral potatoes in a cast iron pan. Each time I post about them, my DMs get flooded with “Oh my God, I need these!” So, I figured they’d make the perfect bonus recipe for this month.

Here’s the best part: you can easily tweak the ingredients to match your taste or simply use what’s in your fridge. Think of this recipe as the foundation for spiral potatoes that you can experiment with. They look much more difficult than they are, but I challenge everyone in the community to give them a try this week. Trust me—you’ll nail it!

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 6-8 Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, peeled

• 150-200g of grated Emmental, Gruyère, or any cheese you prefer

• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and diced

• Olive oil

• 250 ml heavy cream

• Any fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, or sage

• Kosher salt

• Anchovies (optional)

• Red chili peppers (optional)

Equipment

• 8” cast iron pan

• Mandoline

• Parchment paper (optional)

Method

Step 1: Slice the potatoes

• Adjust your mandoline to a very thin setting. You want them to fold over if you pick them up by one side. If they stay rigid like a potato chip, they’re too thick.

• Using the mandoline, carefully slice your peeled potatoes. You can give them a quick rinse in cold water to remove some starch, but honestly, I skip this step when I’m in a hurry. Just be sure to pat them dry afterward.

Step 2: Assemble and cook

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.

• Rub a little olive oil on the bottom of your cast iron pan. Grab a handful of potato slices and start placing them along the edge of the pan, overlapping each slice by about 50%.

  • If you’re worried about the potatoes sticking to the cast iron you can always line it with some parchment paper. I do it both ways but I prefer without as you get crispier edges.

• Once the surface of the pan is covered in potato slices, add a small handful of cheese, a pinch of salt, a bit of the garlic, a pinch of fresh herbs, and about 2 tbsp of heavy cream (I just drizzle the cream over the layers).

• Repeat this at least three times or until all of your slices have been used.

• Make sure to save some cheese for the top layer as you want a nice crispy top to the dish. Add 4 tbsp of the cream and I love to add a few anchovies, some extra herbs and some sliced fresh red chili peppers to the top. The anchovies add a ton of flavour as they melt into the cream and cheese. The saltiness from the little fishes and the heat from the chili peppers kind of bleed down through the potatoes – these ingredients are optional but I’m telling you you’re missing out if you omit them.

• Roast the potatoes for 50-60 minutes, checking on them after about 45 minutes. They’re done when the top is golden brown, bubbly, and the edges are crispy.

• Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes or so to let the potatoes cool and set up a bit.

Slice it into wedges and serve along side whatever you are having for dinner tonight!