Tim Chin is a professional cook and writer who has contributed to Serious Eats and America’s Test Kitchen. A graduate of The International Culinary Center, Tim has cooked at restaurants in New York and Boston, working at Rouge Tomate, Northern Spy, and BiSq.

Tim Chin

Mandoline

1/2 Sheet pan(s)

Loaf pan(s) (8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch by 2 1/2-inch)

Parchment paper

Breville Joule® Oven Air Fryer Pro

1/4 Sheet pan(s)

Blowtorch

Flat-bottomed carbon steel wok

The Control Freak™ Home

Baking/Cooling rack(s)

Russet potato(es)

Clarified butter

Kosher salt

Neutral oil

Russet potatoes: Russet potatoes have a few unique qualities that make them ideal for a pavé. First, they are considered a “starchy” potato—roughly 2% higher in starch on average than “waxy” potatoes like Yukon golds. They also have higher levels of amylose than waxy potatoes; amylose is the starch molecule responsible for crispiness in fried potatoes, and it forms a porous, rigid network when gelatinized and deep fried. Finally, russet potatoes have lower water content than waxy potatoes, producing a drier, fluffier interior when cooked, as opposed to the creamy interior of a waxy Yukon gold. All three of these qualities give us a crispier, fluffier, more cohesive result.

The number of potatoes required for this recipe will vary based on the size of your baking vessel. For a standard 8 1/2- by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, 2.2 kg potatoes will yield about 1.5 kg usable potato slices, with about 700 g in trim and waste. For a slightly larger baking pan, you may need to increase the amount of potatoes up to 2.6 kg to adequately fill the container. However, you do not need to adjust the amount of butter or salt.

Wok or Dutch oven: For at-home deep-frying projects, we often like to use a flat-bottomed carbon steel wok because its shape allows us to use less oil to reach the depth required for fully submerging ingredients during the cooking process. Its sloped sides also make it easier to add and remove ingredients without splashing hot oil around. If you don’t have a wok, a Dutch oven also works great for frying.

Before we begin

If a classic pavé just doesn’t do it for you, or if you’re looking for a fun spin on the traditional technique, you could try your hand at the <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/potato-croissants">Potato “Croissant”</a>: a golden-brown, buttery, crispy-on-the-outside, creamy-on-the-inside rosette of deep-fried potato slices. The core principles are the same, but the shaping is different, giving you a breathtaking, fractal-like pattern with a little more crunch per square inch than a traditional pavé.
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Recipe for a potato “croissant,” with multiple layers of potato slices.

Crispy Potato “Croissants”

Level up the pavé with a potato “croissant”

Fill a large bowl or container halfway with cold water. Using a sharp knife, trim tops and bottoms of potatoes so that the length of the potatoes matches the width of the interior of the loaf pan (roughly 4 inches in length if using a 8 1/2- by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan).

Using a mandoline, slice potatoes lengthwise into 0.8- to 1-mm-thick sheets. Transfer sliced potatoes to container of water and swirl and agitate to release starch. Reserve any scraps for another use (such as <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/perfect-fluffy-mashed-potatoes">mashed potatoes</a>), or discard. You should have roughly 1.5 kg of sliced potatoes.

Once potato slices have been rinsed of excess starch, you can proceed immediately to next step or let them soak for up to 2 hours.

Trim, slice, and rinse potatoes

We tested several methods for slicing potatoes, including hand slicing, using a vegetable sheeter, and slicing with a mandoline. Slicing by hand was an arduous and imprecise task: The slices varied too much in thickness, and it was challenging to slice the potatoes as the piece got thinner. A rotating vegetable sheeter yielded visually pleasing, uniform slices, but we found the method impractical for most cooks. In order to obtain perfect sheets, there was considerable waste in trimming the potato to the ideal size and shape. The sheeter also left a large knob of potato behind. In contrast, using a mandoline kept waste to a minimum and all slices were uniform. It also proved to be the fastest method for slicing potatoes.

For maximum yield, use a mandoline.

Line a 1/2 sheet pan with two layers of kitchen towels. Remove a handful of potato slices from water, shake to remove excess water, and transfer to prepared sheet pan, arranging slices in a single layer. Pat dry with a third dry towel and transfer to a second large bowl. Repeat drying process with remaining potato slices.

Dry potatoes

Potatoes—especially russets—are notorious for oxidizing when cut and exposed to air. They turn gray, brown, or even black over time. The culprit is an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, which reacts with oxygen and polyphenols in a cut potato to form brown pigments. While this discoloration doesn’t affect the texture or eating quality of potatoes, it affects their appearance. Keeping sliced potatoes in water limits exposure to air, which delays this enzymatic reaction, keeping the potatoes whiter for longer.

Rinsing the cut potatoes of their surface starches also helps with stalling oxidation once they come out of the water. As an added bonus, getting rid of excess surface starches will yield a more elegant, blonder color in the final fried pavé.

Soak and rinse potatoes to prevent oxidation

Spray 8 1/2- by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut an 8- by 13-inch sheet of parchment paper and place in pan so that excess parchment hangs over long sides of pan, forming a sling.

Add melted clarified butter and salt to potatoes in bowl. Using clean hands, gently mix until slices are evenly coated in fat.
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Precision Clarified Butter

Coat and season potatoes

Why not just toss the potatoes in melted butter? It all comes down to browning.

Butter contains proteins and water, in addition to butterfat. The water prevents butter from reaching temperatures higher than the boiling point of water ([f 212]) until it has been evaporated. More importantly for this preparation, the proteins in butter, often referred to as milk solids, will brown (and can burn) rapidly.

<a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/clarified-butter-ghee">Clarifying butter</a> removes the water and milk proteins in butter, leaving you with pure butterfat. Coated in clarified butter as they bake, the potato slices will brown at a slower rate, yielding creamy and tender potatoes that remain blond (and won&#39;t burn) during the two-stage cooking process.

Clarified vs. melted butter

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to [f 300].

Working with 4 to 5 potato slices at a time, arrange potatoes lengthwise across width of prepared loaf pan, overlapping and shingling slices slightly (squared off edges of slices should be flush with long sides of the pan). Continue layering slices, pressing down on each completed layer to maintain a flat surface, until no slices remain.

Fold overhanging parchment paper over potatoes. Using a second loaf pan, press loaf with even pressure until top is flat and level. Set second loaf pan aside.

Build pavé

Cover loaf pan with aluminum foil and crimp tightly around edges of pan to seal. Transfer loaf pan to 1/4 sheet pan and place on a second 1/4 sheet pan.

Bake until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in center offers no resistance, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Bake pavé

Yup, you read that right: We’re asking you to double up on the sheet pans under the loaf pan.

Using 2 sheet pans insulates the bottom of the loaf pan from the heat of the oven, preventing the bottom layers from taking on too much color and frying in the clarified butter.

Why use 2 sheet pans? Insulation.

Remove loaf pan from oven and remove foil.

Cut a piece of cardboard that fits in the loaf pan and wrap completely in foil. Place foil-wrapped cardboard on top of parchment.

Place second loaf pan on top of foil-wrapped cardboard and press down firmly to compress loaf by roughly 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Place 5- to 10-pound weight, such as a brick, into second loaf pan to maintain pressure, then refrigerate until fully chilled and firm, at least 8 hours and up to 1 week.

Press and chill pavé

Pressing and weighing down the pavé will compress the cooked potato layers, ensuring that the starch gel that forms between the layers will glue the layers together and form an easily sliceable “cake” that yields clean-edged portions for frying.

Press pavé for the most uniform slices

Once pavé is fully chilled, transfer sheet pan to a heatproof surface and remove weight. Using a blowtorch, gently heat empty loaf pan until it releases from pavé, about 30 seconds. Remove empty loaf pan, then carefully remove and discard foil-wrapped cardboard.

Invert loaf pan and, using blowtorch, gently heat bottom and sides of loaf pan until pavé releases, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove loaf pan, then remove and discard parchment. Transfer pavé to cutting board.

Line a 1/2 sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, trim edges of loaf, then slice loaf crosswise into 1/2-inch- to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Slices can be left whole or cut into smaller pieces if desired. Transfer slices to prepared sheet pan.

Unmold and portion pavé

If you don’t own a blowtorch, you can easily unmold your pavé using an oven. After chilling, warm loaf pan in a [f 350] oven until butter stuck to bottom and sides of pan melts and pavé releases, about 10 minutes. Invert loaf pan onto heat proof surface to unmold. If pavé does not unmold, continue heating loaf pan in 5-minute intervals until pavé fully releases. The goal is to keep the pavé itself chilled when unmolding.

No blowtorch? No problem.

In a 14-inch wok or Dutch oven, heat 2 inches of oil to [f 350] over medium-high heat. Set a wire rack in a 1/2 sheet pan and place next to stovetop.

Working with 4 portions at a time, carefully lower pavés into hot oil and cook for 30 seconds (keep remaining portions refrigerated throughout the frying process). Using a spider, gently stir to ensure pavés don’t stick to sides of wok or to each other. Continue frying, stirring occasionally, until pavés are deep golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to prepared sheet pan and season generously on both sides with salt.

Allow oil to return to [f 350] and repeat frying process with remaining portions.

Fry pavés

After unmolding, you’ve got all kinds of options for portion size.

Entrée size: The classic shape is an entrée size that measures roughly 4 inches across and 1 1/2 inches tall. This would be the ideal size to serve with a steak or piece of chicken.

Snack size: If a snackable appetizer is more your speed, then 2-inch squares are a great option.

Amuse bouche: For parties, finger food, or even a fancy amuse bouche for a coursed dinner, we split 4-inch entrée slices into thirds, giving 1 1/3-inch pieces that are the perfect one-biter.

Fry the right size pavé for any occasion

Serve fried pavés with accompaniments and condiments of your choice.

For entrée portions, we like to serve pavés with <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/poulet-farci">Poulet Farci</a> and <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/chicken-demi-glace">Chicken Demi-Glace</a>.

For snack-size servings, we like ketchup, <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/japanese-kewpie-style-mayo">Japanese (Kewpie-Style) Mayo</a>, or even our <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/roasted-chicken-fat-mayo">Roasted Chicken Fat Mayo</a>.

And for an amuse, you could go all out with <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/creme-fraiche">crème fraîche</a>, caviar, and chives.
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Crème Fraîche

Roasted Chicken Fat Mayo

Japanese (Kewpie-Style) Mayo

Chicken Demi-Glace

Classic recipe for poulet farci (chicken-stuffed roast chicken).

Poulet Farci (Chicken-Stuffed Roast Chicken)

Serve

Pavé can be baked, pressed, and chilled through Step 6 and refrigerated in its loaf pan for up to 1 week before unmolding and portioning in Step 7.

Make-ahead and storage

Top-tier fried potatoes have a couple things in common: crispy on the outside, creamy and tender within. That goes for <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/ultimate-crispy-french-fries">(good) fries</a>, it goes for tots, and it goes for <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/air-fried-smashed-potatoes">air-fried spuds</a>, too. Put those two qualities together with a stunning, Michelin mille-feuille look and what do you get? The potato pavé, aka the crispy and creamy potato preparation that’s designed to live on fine dining restaurant menus and blow up on your social feeds. 
 
You might see it served as a canapé—a squat square of potato layers almost magically fused together, its crispy exterior adorned with a dollop of <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/creme-fraiche">crème fraîche</a> and a mound of caviar. You might see it as part of the set for a meat course, alongside <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/poulet-farci">Poulet Farci</a> and a pool of <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/chicken-demi-glace">demi-glace</a>. Or, you might serve it up as the fanciest tater tot of all time. You can do whatever you want with this fun little bit of potato wizardry. 
 
It’s a little bit of a process, sure, but the payoff is 100% worth it. And if you want to really up the ante, check out our leveled-up version: <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/potato-croissants">the Potato “Croissant!”</a>

Potato Pavé