Preheat the oven to 200° C / 390° F no fan (or 180° C / 355° F on a fan setting).
Heat up a large cast iron skillet on low heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil (15 ml) and a tablespoon of vegan butter (15 g).
Once vegan butter melts, add shallots and sautee them on low heat until softened, then add garlic, chopped rosemary leaves and thyme.
Sautee on low heat, stirring frequently, until garlic has softened (don’t let it brown) then remove them from the skillet and set aside.
Wash the potatoes well, dry and slice evenly using a mandolin, on 3 mm / 1/8″ setting. If your potatoes have thick or very blemished skins, you may want to peel them first.
Add another tablespoon of oil and vegan butter to the same skillet (no need to wash it).
Once vegan butter melts, whisk in potato starch. Carry on whisking for 60 more seconds allowing the mixture to bubble gently.
Gradually add plant milk (hold a splash of it back to dilute miso with) while whisking. Allow the mixture to come to a gentle simmer to thicken.
Season with miso diluted in a splash of plant milk, nutritional yeast, nutmeg, black pepper and salt.
Return fried garlic and shallot mixture to the skillet and give everything a good stir. Adjust the seasoning to taste remebering that potatoes have not been seasoned, so don’t be scared to overseason the mixture a little.
Arrange partially overlapping potato slices in a circular pattern so that approximately a third of the slices is visible above the liquid. Brush the exposed potatoes with olive oil, sprinkle the top with black pepper and a few more thyme leaves.
Cover the pan with a piece of kitchen foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil, carry on baking for 10 minutes then increase the temperature to 220° C / 428° F for the last 10-15 minutes or so. The dish is ready when potatoes are cooked through, all of the excess liquid has evaporated and the top is lightly golden.
NOTES
*PLANT MILK: if you prefer to make this dish even more indulgent, use vegan cream (like Oatly) instead of soy milk and skip the starch/flour.
*POTATO STARCH: if you don’t care about keeping this dish gluten-free, you can use plain flour instead.
*MISO PASTE: If gluten-free, seek out gluten-free miso paste. It is often based on chickpeas, rice or millet.
ADVERTISEMENT
