A delicious potato galette, filled with caramelized onions and goat cheese. Cooked up to golden brown and crispy goodness in a cast iron skillet.

potato galette on cutting board

Why you’ll love this potato galette!

There is just no nicer combination of flavours than caramelized onion and goat cheese. Add crispy potatoes to the mix and you have a winning side potato dish that’s perfect to elevate just about any meal. Or just enjoy it as a meal itself, maybe with a nice salad.

Using thinly sliced potatoes ensures you’ll get lovely crispy potato bits around the outside, but they are still lovely and tender on the inside. The combination of flavours and textures keeps me coming back to this one.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Potatoes – I like to use red potatoes and I don’t bother peeling them (though you can peel them, if you prefer). Alternately, opt for a yellow-fleshed potato like Yukon Gold.

Goat Cheese – You’ll need about 1/2 of one of the small (3 oz) logs of goat cheese, though the exact amount you use can be scaled up or down a bit, to taste.

Not a fan of goat cheese? You could substitute Gruyere, aged white cheddar Boursin™ or even feta.

Onions – You’ll need a medium-sized yellow cooking onion. Again, the exact size/amount isn’t critical here. You can use as much as you like. You’ll want about 1/3 cup of caramelized onion, give or take a bit. As noted below, you may find it useful to make more than you need, as you can easily freeze extra caramelized onion to use for another dish.

Step-by-Step Photos

photo collage of steps to make potato galette

Step 1: Caramelize the Onions – Unfortunately, there is no quick way to caramelize onions. That said, it is not a difficult process, just needing a little attention as you allow the onions to cook to caramelized perfection. It will take about 25-30 minutes. You can do this part ahead, if you like, then just cover and refrigerate until you assemble the galette.

photo collage of steps to make potato galette

Step 2: Assembling the Galette – Assembling the galette is a simple as placing the thin potato rounds into a well-greased cast-iron skillet (or similar sized baking pan). Scatter the caramelized onion and goat cheese between the layers and top it all with a final layer of potatoes. Brush with butter/olive oil mixture. Cook briefly on the stovetop to set the bottom, then pop in the oven and bake until the potatoes are tender, golden brown and crispy.

FAQ

What is a galette? The word ‘galette’ comes from the Norman word ‘gale’, meaning flat cake.

What is potato galette? A potato galette is a “flat cake”, made with thinly sliced potatoes.

Can I make the galette thicker? I like mine on the thinner side, as it cooks quickly and gets nice and crispy as there is just less moisture over-all in the pan. That said, you can certainly make it thicker, if you prefer. Simply double up each of the 3 layers of potatoes, so rather than a single layer of over-lapped potatoes, go around again to make each layer doubled.

Alternately, you can make more filling and use more layers. as you like. Just keep in mind that the thicker it is, the longer it will take to cook AND you may need to loosely cover the top with foil if the top is over-browning before the potatoes are cooked through.

Can you freeze potato galette? Yes you can. You can freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and use the re-heating instructions below.

Can you reheat potato galette? Absolutely! The easiest way I have found is to simply slip in back into the skillet and re-heat on the stove-top over medium heat until warmed through. This will add a bit of the crisp back. Alternately, place on a baking sheet and pop into a 350F oven until warmed through.

What to serve with a potato galette? You can serve your potato galette as a potato side dish to any meal, though pairing it with a simply cooked meat, such as a grilled steak or roast chicken. You could also treat the galette as a main and serve it with a simple salad.

Do I need to use a cast iron skillet to make a potato galette? No, but it really does work well if you have one. If you don’t, use a similar sized, round baking dish, such as a 9-inch round cake tin or even a springform pan. For a springform, I would wrap the bottom in foil to keep any liquid in the pan.

Recipe Tips

  • A mandolin is ideal for cutting thinly sliced potatoes. The exact thickness is can vary. I go for about 1/8-inch-ish, as the thinner potatoes will cook quickly and crisp up nicely. If you don’t have a mandolin, you can thinly slice with a knife. Cut them as thin as you can, but in most cases, they will be thicker than using a mandolin, so count on a little extra baking time.
  • To remove the galette from the pan, allow to stand in the pan 3-4 minutes, then start working around the outside of the potato round with a spatula, gently lifting and loosening and working your way further under the potatoes, until the round moves as one piece. Slide out onto serving plate or cutting board.
  • I love to garnish with fresh thyme leaves, as the flavour combination is really nice.

potato galette on cutting board

Top Tip!

If you’re going to take the time to caramelize onions, why not do a bunch and freeze the extra, so you can easily enjoy this and other dishes. Yes, caramelized onions freeze beautifully. You can freeze them in ice cube trays or small freezer bags. They’ll keep in the freezer up to 3 months. To thaw, simply thaw in the fridge or microwave.

potato galette on cutting board

Get the Recipe: Potato Galette

A delicious potato galette, filled with caramelized onions and goat cheese. Cooked up to crispy goodness in a cast iron skillet.
5 stars from 3 ratings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
  • 3-4 large red-skinned potatoes, no need to peel, unless you prefer
  • 2 oz goat cheese , crumbled (about 1/2 of a small log or 1/2-cup-ish)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Note: My cast-iron skillet shown here is 10-inches top diameter. For a larger skillet, you may need more potatoes and/or filling. Alternately, you can use a similar sized regular, oven-safe skillet or baking pan, such as a 9-inch round cake pan.
  • Combine the melted butter and the olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Slice onion in half from top to bottom and peel outer layers. Remove root ends and then slice thinly. Separate the individual slices.
  • Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat on the stove top. Add about 1/3 of the butter/olive oil mixture to the skillet and add the onions. Stir to coat well in butter. Cook the onions, stirring, until translucent. Reduce heat slightly. Sprinkle onions with a bit of salt and a generous pinch of sugar. Continue cooking, stirring every few minutes, adding a splash of water occasionally when the pan starts to seem dry, until the onions are nicely caramelized. This will take 25-30 minutes. Remove onions to a small bowl and set aside. *Can be done ahead and refrigerated.
  • Meanwhile, slice potatoes very thinly with a mandolin or a sharp knife. Lay slices onto paper towel to dry them a bit, blotting the top with paper towel as well.
  • Prepare a cast-iron or other oven-proof skillet or baking dish by liberally brushing with the butter/olive oil mixture (use most of it, but save a bit to brush on top of the potatoes before baking). **If using a regular baking pan, you may want to line the bottom with a round of parchment and then butter it generously, just for easy removal later. Lay overlapping potato slices (overlap them by about 1/2, so each slice you add is covering half of the slice it is overlapping) on the bottom of the pan, starting with a ring around the outside and continuing to the centre, until the bottom is completely covered. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread 1/2 of the caramelized onions evenly over the potatoes. Crumble 1/2 of the goat cheese over the onions. Add another layer of overlapping potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then top with the rest of the onions and goat cheese. Top with a final layer of overlapping potatoes. Press down lightly on the potatoes with a spatula to compress slightly. Brush the top with the butter/olive oil mixture and add a final sprinkling of salt and pepper.
  • **Skip the stove-top part if using a regular baking pan, rather than a skillet. Heat an element on the stove to medium high and also pre-heat your oven to 400° F. Place the skillet with the potatoes onto the burner and allow to cook until you an hear the bottom is sizzling and steam rises from the sides. Immediately place into pre-heated oven and cook, undisturbed, for about 35-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender (I use a knife to test. If your slices are thicker, it will take longer to cook).
  • Switch oven to broil setting and broil for about 3-5 minutes or until the top is golden and crispy.
  • Top with a bit of Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Use a spatula to loosen the galette on the bottom and then slide onto a cutting board. Cut into slices and serve.

Notes

This galette will server 4 as a side dish or 2 as a main. If you'd like it thicker, you can double the recipe and make 6 potato layers instead of 3, then cut into 8 slices. Adjust the cooking time up to 50-60 minutes if you make it thicker or your potato slices are thicker. As with all potato dishes, be sure to salt well to bring out the best flavour in the potatoes.
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Side Dish
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 360kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 156mg, Potassium: 1305mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 351IU, Vitamin C: 26mg, Calcium: 56mg, Iron: 2mg
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