Maris Piper Potatoes

The Ultimate Crispy Potato Layer Cake Creating the perfect crispy potato requires patience, precision, and an understanding of starch behavior. Poppy O'Toole, the self-proclaimed "potato queen," ranks this garlic-infused variation at number 15 in her definitive ranking of spud preparations. This method transforms humble Maris Piper potatoes into a compressed, multi-layered masterpiece that is intensely crispy on the outside and velvety within. It requires 15 hours of curing and pressing, but the culinary payoff is unmatched. Essential Culinary Kit Before beginning, assemble your tools. You need a mandoline slicer for paper-thin potato rounds, a loaf tin lined with parchment paper, heavy cans for pressing, and a deep-fryer or heavy-bottomed pot filled with high-smoke-point oil. For ingredients, secure a whole bulb of garlic, duck fat, kosher salt, and high-starch potatoes like Maris Piper. Roasting the Garlic and Layering the Spuds To build the flavor foundation, roast a whole bulb of garlic. Slice off the crown, drizzle with oil, season with salt, wrap securely in foil, and bake until sweet and caramelized. Squeeze the soft cloves into a paste. Next, slice your potatoes to paper-thin consistency using the mandoline. Toss the slices thoroughly with the roasted garlic paste, a generous amount of rich duck fat, and salt. Layer the seasoned slices tightly inside your lined loaf tin, pressing down firmly on each layer to eliminate air pockets. The Low-and-Slow Bake and Compression Bake the assembled terrine at 120°C (approx. 250°F) for roughly 3 hours until the layers are completely tender. Once cooked, the critical step of compression begins. Place heavy food tins on top of the cooked potato block to weigh it down, then refrigerate for 12 hours. This long press compacts the layers into a single cohesive block. Cut into neat cubes, then deep-fry until golden brown and shatteringly crisp.