Lemon Pepper Leaf Potatoes
Serves 6
Ingredients
5 pounds russet or baking potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and covered with cold water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 ½ tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly grated black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Additional melted butter
Flake salt
Instructions
Put an oven rack in middle position and preheat the oven to 400F. Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven.
Peel the potatoes and trim the rounded edges on the long side of each potato to make very irregular shaped potatoes of varying sizes. (Save the trimmings for another use like crispy fried potato skins.)
Using a mandolin, thinly slice the potatoes into 1/8-inch slices and place them in a large bowl of water as soon as they have been sliced.
When all of the potatoes have been sliced, remove the potatoes and dry completely with towels. Add the melted butter, salt, pepper, 1 ½ tablespoons of the grated lemon zest and lemon juice and toss together.
Butter a 9 X 9-inch oven-to table baking dish. Working along one side, arrange the potato slices standing upright overlapping from left to right and moving row by row filling the pan completely.
Brush the top with melted butter and bake the potatoes for 1 hour until the tops of the slices are golden and crisp, about 1 hour. Move the pan to the bottom rack and place the pan directly on the pizza stone to crisp the bottom, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Combine the flake salt and remaining 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest. Sprinkle onto the top of the potatoes and serve immediately.
