Potato roses are thinly sliced potatoes that are soaked, seasoned, and formed into roses in a muffin tin. They’re a sweet way to show someone (or yourself) that you care, to demonstrate your artistic prowess, or to just have a little fun with your food. Serve them with just about anything you’re cooking — I keep fantasizing about a perfectly cooked steak with pan sauce drizzled onto the potato rose petals. Hungry yet?

What are the best potatoes for potato roses?

Yukon Gold potatoes are the best choice for roses. They have a lower starch content than russets, which means they bake up with a crispier texture.

Do I need to soak the potatoes?

Yes! Soaking the potatoes removes excess starch, creating a crispier end result. The batch I baked with unsoaked potatoes were starchy in the center with chewy edges. The soaked potatoes, however, had velvety centers with light and super-crispy edges — a much more pleasurable eating experience.

To soak the potatoes, you’ll simply cover the slices with cold water and let them sit for 15 minutes. Then, drain them and pat dry before coating with the garlic butter.

How do you make a potato rose?

Working from the outside in and starting with the larger potato slices, line the perimeter of a greased muffin cup with five slices, shingling and bending them as needed. Repeat with five more slices, placing them inside the first layer. Shingle three slices on a cutting board and roll them up into a coil, then place in the center of the cup. Repeat with three more slices. At this point you’ll have to use your artistic eye. Add more rolled slices as needed, placing them in the center until a rose shape is formed.

If you have small slices left over after creating all six roses, shingle them inside the muffin cup to create a mini pommes anna. Bake the roses in a 400 F oven until they’re tender in the center and the edges are deep golden-brown and crispy. Run an offset spatula around the edges of the roses to unstick and remove, then serve warm.

Potato Roses

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