Fiefhusener layered potato cake with port wine onion core

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 800 g potato(s), waxy
• 1 large onion(s)
• 1 large onion(s), red
• 1 clove(s) garlic, finely diced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp butter, melted for brushing
• 4 tbsp extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
• 100 ml port wine, sweet (“Tawny”)
• 2 sprigs thyme, fresh
• 2 bay leaves, dried (or fresh)
• 1 pinch of ground mace
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch of cardamom, ground
• n. B. salt and pepper, freshly ground
• n. B. Cheese, shaved Cheddar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

surprising potato preparation with aromatic core

First, prepare the filling: Peel and halve both onions. Then cut into fine strips. Peel and finely dice the garlic clove. Heat a non-stick pan to 3/4 heat and sauté the onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil for about 3 minutes until translucent. Add a little salt and stir frequently while sautéing. Deglaze with the port wine, add the thyme, bay leaves, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and cardamom, and fold in thoroughly. Discard the thyme stalks and bay leaves later. Reduce the liquid over medium heat until it has the consistency of soft jam, stirring frequently. Remove the herbs, season again with salt and pepper, and set the mixture aside. Now prepare the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly using a mandoline. Now pour the remaining olive oil into a metal pizza baking plate (with a rim) and spread it evenly over the base. “Stick” a sheet of parchment paper to the oiled base. If you don’t have a metal pizza baking plate, you can use an ovenproof frying pan/crepe pan. Place two complete, overlapping layers of the base on the parchment paper. Lightly sprinkle this base layer (and all subsequent layers) with a pinch of salt. To help, place a coffee or milk mug, approximately 8-9 cm in diameter, on top of the base layer. It’s helpful if it doesn’t have a handle. Now, around this mug—which serves as a placeholder—the potato slices are layered in a circle, like a brick wall. Start by covering the entire diameter of the plate/pan, then gradually increase the thickness toward the center, creating a sort of even dome. Once 3/4 of the potatoes have been used, remove the mug and pour the onion and port wine filling into the center. Finally, complete the “dome” with the remaining potato slices. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and brush it all over the dome. Salt the entire dome (the potatoes “swallow” a lot of salt). Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (top/bottom heat) (180 degrees Celsius (fan oven)) for at least 60 minutes. The preparation time also depends on the oven. The potatoes are ready as soon as the outer layer is brown and crispy, like good fried potatoes. I personally like to sprinkle some shaved cheddar cheese over the finished dish and let it melt, along with some freshly ground pepper and a few fresh thyme leaves for garnish. Finally, lift the potatoes out of the pan/sheet pan on the baking paper and carefully (preferably with two people) slide them onto a large serving plate. DONE!