So, ahem [taps on microphone]… In the summer of 2014 I announced that I had not learned my lesson the first time and would be writing another cookbook. My editor and agent told me the second book always goes faster; it’s like they didn’t think I’d rise to the challenge. This 2015 release might have had some (tiny, adorable) effect on a rain-checked 2016 release, but as the first Smitten Kitchen Cookbook approaches its 5th birthday, the wildest thing has happened: this second book I promised you is (at last) out of my hands and headed to the printers.
Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant & Unfussy New Favorites will be released on October 24, 2017 and I cannot wait to share it with you. I hope more than anything that it’s worth the wait.
Why triumphant and unfussy? Over the last 5 years, I’ve had a lot of “opportunities” (heh, we call it “Hangry O’Clock” and it’s quite loud) to think about what cooking more often with less time means but when I realized I didn’t want to write the book that is usually expected in this category — 20 minute meals, 7 ingredient fixes, and/or my suggested and swiftly rejected title, wait, didn’t we just feed you guys yesterday? I got stuck.
I didn’t want a book whose goal was to rush you out of the kitchen the second you began to unwind.
I didn’t want to operate from the assumption that cooking is drudgery, when for so many of us, it’s a much-needed escape.
I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time, but I also knew that a recipe that takes 10 minutes longer isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker if those 10 minutes make it infinitely better.
And I wanted to talk about the fact that the more we cooked, the more people we crowded around the table, the more fun we were having.
This is the result: these are the recipes for the food that makes us happy. This doesn’t mean that this book isn’t full of practical recipes that fit into a busy life, it simply means that they don’t do this before — they donĄ¯t prioritize it over — making food that we are really, really excited to eat.
It’s a Hopelessly Unapologetically Inauthentic Caesar Salad that we make almost every week of the year from a dressing that seems to keep in the fridge almost indefinitely, so we make a big jar of it. It’s a crumb cake that — even after 10-plus years of having cakes and other goodies around as I test recipes — has proven to be my match: I cannot be near it; it’s not safe. It’s breakfast-style sticky toffee pudding and potato skins, and this giant picnic sandwich that might be alone enough reason to become a person who picnics. There’s a succotash full of wanderlust and tacos from such exotic places as the Jersey Shore. There’s a whole section of soups and stews, and I hope not one of them is predictable. There’s a massive section of vegetarian mains, even more than last time, but also the kind of steak salad I make when lots of people come over. I hope you’ll find the last one-bowl, no-sweat birthday cake recipes you’ll ever need in unlimited shapes and at least 24 flavor combinations, and I bet you can imagine how just reading that last part makes me grateful for the cocktail and mocktail that cap off the book. There are so many recipes in there I’d been jotting in the margins for so many years, that it’s torture not to be able to share everything already.
As of today, the book is available for preorder almost everywhere books are sold.
U.S. Edition: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | iBooks | Hudson Booksellers | IndieBound | Other U.S. Retailers
Canadian Edition: Chapters | Amazon Canada | Kobo Canada
U.K. Edition, 2018: Amazon U.K. | Waterstone’s
Now I want to talk about the cover: It’s a dish I call Cacio e Pepe Potatoes Anna and we love it for a great many reasons. The cacio e pepe part comes from becoming infatuated with the dish when we went to Rome a few years ago. The best cooking uses simple ingredients to create much more than the sum of its parts, and this pasta dish, whose flavor hinges on sharp, salty pecorino cheese and the sparkly heat of black pepper and absolutely nothing else, is one of the best examples I know. But I didn’t put it on pasta; I put it on something of a poor man’s pommes Anna. Potatoes Anna is a classic French dish of thinly sliced potatoes cooked in a significant amount of clarified butter, layered to form a cake thatĄ¯s flipped in a pan on the stove every 10 minutes until the outside is golden and crispy. A potato galette is for people who live their lives outside restaurant kitchens — or, perhaps, have a curly-haired tyrant named Anna in their lives.
This version is far more hands-off but doesnĄ¯t skimp on the best part, which is that it looks like a crown of potatoes and tastes a tiny bit like a potato chip casserole, with deeply bronzed and crisp edges and a baked-just-so center, infused with salty cheese and a warming kick of pepper. With a salad of lightly dressed greens, it makes a pretty luxurious simple dinner. As a side dish, it steals the show. With an egg on top, well, I can no longer remember why I ever eat anything else.
Cacio e Pepe Potatoes Anna
- 1/2 cup (65 grams) finely grated aged Pecorino Romano
- 1 tablespoon (10 grams) potato starch or cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea or table salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper, or a larger amount coarsely ground
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter, melted, or olive oil
- 2 pounds (roughly 1 kg) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/8-inch-thick, ideally on a mandolin
- 8 cups (5 2/3 ounces or 160 grams) loosely packed arugula
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) white wine vinegar
Potatoes
Salad
Pour 1 tablespoon butter or oil into the bottom of a 9-inch-diameter cast-iron or ovenproof skillet, and swirl it up the sides. Arrange the potatoes in overlapping concentric circles in a single layer at the bottom of the pan. (This will use approximately a quarter of your sliced potatoes.) Drizzle with 1 teaspoon butter or oil, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the cheese-pepper mixture. You’ll need to repeat this three or four times to use up your potatoes (depending on their size). At the end, you should have about 1 tablespoon cheese-pepper mixture left over; reserve this. Drizzle any remaining melted butter over the top.
To bake: Lightly coat a piece of foil with nonstick spray and cover the skillet tightly with it. Put in heated oven for 35 minutes, at which point the potatoes will be almost tender. Use potholdered hands to press firmly on the foil to compact the potatoes a bit. Remove and reserve the foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes more, until lightly brown all over. Press again with the foil, remove, then briefly run under the broiler for an even golden-brown finish.
To finish and serve: While the galette bakes, toss the arugula with the olive oil and vinegar, keeping the dressing very light.
Once the galette is out of the oven, let it rest in the skillet for a few minutes before running a knife around to ensure that it is loose. Gently tip the skillet over your sink to drain any excess butter or oil. Invert it onto a plate or cutting board, then flip right side up. Cut the galette into wedges, then top with the dressed greens, and sprinkle with the reserved cheese-pepper mixture.
Do ahead: This galette can be made up to 3 days in advance. Rewarm at 350 degrees for 15 minutes with foil on top.
I can’t WAIT for your new book. Your first one has been used, with joy, and I’m holding out hope for another book tour! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!
I love the potatoes cacio e pepe! Bravo! I really love your recipes. Congratulations on the release of your second book!! You must be really proud :-)
Wow and YAY!
Darn it! I rushed to preorder and send the email for the extra recipe and failed to read the fine print re: including my mailing address. But multiple requests from the same email address are disqualified, so I guess I can’t send another email as a correction, either? This is what I get for rushing without reading the whole post first!
Don’t even worry about it, send it again. (Thank you!)
Thank you!!
Congratulations! I am beyond excited for this book . Your first is a huge favorite in our house and this one sounds amazing!
Weeeee! So exciting! Congrats Deb.
Was wondering if you’ll be offering personalized signed copies of the new cookbook, like last time? I’ll order either way, but have a personalized copy in mind as a present for a dear friend’s BIG birthday.
Absolutely! We are still figuring out the logistics, but it will 100% happen. And thank you.
Congratulations on the new arrival. You have been working long and hard on this and we love you for it. Anna is such a pretty girl and it’s lovely that the front cover pays homage to her, especially since you were incubating her while this was in the works. I know l love that there is a dessert called Charlotte. I’ll be waiting patiently for the book to be available. ?
Yippee!!!!!!!! Every time I’m looking for a new recipe to make, I check here first (see last week’s Derby Pie Bars) because I know whatever it is I will be able to follow the unfussy, well-explained directions and the end product will be delicious. You have a gift.
And pre-ordering? You had me at sprinkles. Thank you!
Congratulations Deb! I was just thinking; I wonder when her new cookbook will be announced; especially since you said you werenĄ¯t pregnant! As a long follower/supporter/lover of SK; I actually tell everyone who asks for any recipe about you; October canĄ¯t come fast enough. I hope you will adventure out on another book tour; need another photo and signed copy!
Thank you! And a book tour: absolutely. I’ll probably announce dates and locations at the end of the summer but if you have a favorite bookstore in your town, please let me know.
Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane, WA, though I’ll drive to Seattle if I can pull it off… :-)
Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane, Washington!
If you come to Spokane, you might as well come to Missoula, MT. Fact and Fiction Bookstore on Higgins!
Hearty congratulations on the impending arrival! We all can’t wait (even though we have to!)
Missoula all the way
I’ll put in a third vote for Auntie’s in Spokane, especially since I suspect a trip to Seattle or Portland just for a book signing might make for a too crazy weekend…
Park Road Books in Charlotte, NC. An awesome independent bookstore that does a great job hosting authors…?!!
Maureen, you read my mind! Please come see us down South, Deb.
Please come to McIntyre’s Books in Fearrington Village, Pittsboro, NC. It is not far from Chapel Hill. Has a huge finished “barn” that is used for Book Tours, 5 star restaurant, wonderful hotel and the best little bookstore you could ever want.
https://www.fearrington.com/mcintyres-books/
I’d love to! I made it to three towns in NC last time and I’d love to do the same. Everyone is so nice and I get to see an old friend. :)
Another vote for Pittsboro (or 9th St Books in Durham), NC!
It’s The Regulator Bookshop on 9th Street in Durham, NC!
How about Buxton Village Books on Hatteras Island, NC ? The only thing that could make a cookbook tour better is a gorgeous uncrowded beach!! http://www.buxtonvillagebooks.com/
Swing through beautiful Naperville, IL and make a stop at Anderson’s Bookshop – Malnati’s deep dish pizza is right down the block for a post-signing treat!
http://www.andersonsbookshop.com/
I second Andersons in Naperville!
Wellesley Books in Wellesley MA. THANKS!
I second Wellesley Books!
I THIRD Wellesley Books!
I 4th Wellesley Books, and will try to get my ticket early enough, before you sell out!!
Please come to Pittsburgh!
Yes – Pittsburgh please! You’ll love it here :-)
YESSSSS! Please come to Pittsburgh, I absolutely buy one <3
Third Place Books
Seattle, WA
Powell’s in Portland, Oregon. It is the biggest bookstore in the country and Portland is an amazing food town!
Second Powells! What a place!
Third Powells vote! Please come to Portland! I read your blog with great joy and look forward to more SK in print!!??
Oh yes! Powells in Portland!!
Blue Bicycle Books in Charleston, SC!
Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC–loved having you come to NC last time!
McNally Robinson Booksellers in Winnipeg, Manitoba (and you might say wait, what?! Winnipeg? Isn’t that place cold? And I would say, perhaps in the winter, yes, BUT: we LOVE you here, and have a pretty amazing food scene. And if you come in the winter I bet you could score tickets to the amazing dinner-on-the-frozen-river https://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/travel/in-winnipeg-a-skating-rink-that-doubles-as-a-sculpture-park.html)
I second McNally Robinson’s in Winnipeg, Manitoba! If you have some free time, we’d love to give you a tour of our insightful Museum of Human Rights or show you polar bears and seals swimming overhead in our award winning Journey to Churchill exhibit as just a couple examples. Plus as Lauren M indicated above, Winnipeg has a vibrant food scene I’m sure you’d enjoy. I’m looking forward to your second book – thanks Deb!
Thirding a Winnipeg stop, it’s such a foodie city, and so diverse! Our summers are lovely, but a winter visit is something you can wear as a badge of honour!
Penn Book Center in Philadelphia! (130 S 34th St)
Kings English Salt Lake City, UT
Please!!
I second Kings English in Salt Lake
Yessss! Kings English in SLC! We’d SO love to have you here in UT!
Yes, please come to Kings English in Salt Lake City!
Would you consider a book signing at a Wegmans?! (I’ve seen other book signings there and one can only hope!) If so, I’ll promote Wegmans in Fairfax, Leesburg, or Sterling, Virginia. If not, then I’ll vote for Barnes and Noble in Fairfax, VA.
I don’t think we’re ruling anything out!
Hi Deb,
Think about working a deal with Wegmans so they can have food samples of some of your cookbook recipes. Wegmans is beyond fabulous with onsite chefs cooking up lots of samples most Saturdays. It’s a good way to draw a crowd…and they most certainly do. Such a fun destination!
Oo-o-oh…I almost forgot! Wegmans has balcony seating for lunch/snacks/dinner…so shoppers can purchase your book and enjoy a lovely meal including some of your recipe items.
I’ll take anything in the DC/MD/VA area :)
Ditto (esp. Maryland).
I second that – especially in VA! :)
Congratulations on the book; I vote for Wegmans in Fairfax, Leesburg, or Sterling, or Barnes & Noble in Fairfax. Would love to meet you but will pre-order any way. Love the first book and the blog.
Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor, MI!
If you go to Ann Arbor it is a skip and jump to Kalamazoo and BookBug!
Please come back to the UK! I learned you were in town a day too late! (had baby brain at the time tho!)
I think this is very likely in the works again! We’ll do our best.
Any chance you add Scotland to your UK travels? Congratulations on the new book and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. The last one is very well used and loved.
Please come to the UK again! If you do it would be amazing if you could come to Exeter, maybe for the food festival in April.
If you are in the UK, could you also come to Copenhagen?!! There is a pretty big fan base of yours here….
Books & Company is a great English book shop
Oh yes, I could go to that!
And Corbridge in Northumberland too, please. Forum Books…indie bookshop.
I would love if you came up to Vermont! City Market (our local co-op in Burlington) hosts cook book authors. Plus think of all the great cheese you can eat while visiting :-)
Oh, please do come to Vermont. Pretty please? :)
Come next door to New Hampshire!
YES please! City Market would be fabulous!
(And we do have fantastic cheese… I can also recommend a truly fantastic wine bar to you ;-) )
Northshire Books in Manchester, VT — yes, please!!
A second to Northshire! Amazing local bookstore that’s really great at hosting authors, plus some great restaurants very close by for before or after signing noshing! Plus, Vermont at any time of year is beautiful :-)
How about including Schaumburg, IL? We have a Barnes and Noble, a Legoland where Jacob and Anna could have oodles of fun, and more restaurants than you can shake a spatula at. :)
Thank you but realistically, I’ll be running around Legoland like a banshee while my son is off to the side reading books. :)
Oh Yay!! I hope you come to Charlotte, NC! I’d love to meet you in person! And yes, I about to preorder your new book. So exciting!!!
Rakestraw Books in Danville, CA!
Ooh too many good bookstores in Chicago to choose from! I saw you at the signing at the Book Cellar, which was great. Though I will also mention, if you do any demos during your tour, the food-related non-profit I work for has a gorgeous, very large teaching kitchen that would be just lovely for such an event, and we’ve partnered with local bookstores to do signings and events.
(yes, hi again from the pickled cranberries and cookbook club woman :-) we’ve been waiting for your new book and are adding it to our calendar now!!)
I want to second the Book Cellar! That was wonderful last time and I love supporting them. :D
Would love if you could come to Book Larder or Elliot Bay Books in Seattle!!
Oh! Please come to Colorado! Boulder Book Store is the most wonderful local bookstore. I’d also go to Denver :) I would love to meet you… I have read every single post on this blog since 2010, and love my copy of the SK Cookbook.
PS – is it weird to know you have so many groupies?
YES! Boulder Book Store, maybe you could sign my sticky, stained, well loved copy of your first book too. There’s a big contingent of SK Boulderites. I have made everything on your website with rhubarb in it; every single one a winner. Threw 4 more plants in this year after making that spice cake. Congrats on your new book.
You came to the Tattered Cover in Denver on your last tour. It would be lovely to see you there again.
Vroman’s in Pasadena, CA! They are experts at staging book signings.
I second Vromans!!
I third Vromans in Pasadena, CA…Can’t wait to see the book, congrats ?
Parnassus Books in Nashville TN. They have Shop Dogs!
https://parnassusmusing.net/2017/04/19/book-tour-perk-dog-love/
I want to go there whether I’m invited or not! Such a fan.
Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA!
The Book Table, Oak Park, Illinois. Please…..
Please please please come to the Curious Iguana in Frederick, MD. It’s an amazing town and a wonderful independent bookstore!!!
Talking Leaves Books on Elmwood in Buffalo, New York or the Wegman’s on Sheridan in Buffalo. Hope to see you at either (or both)!
Rainy Day Books in Kansas City!!
Yes! Was looking to see if anyone made this suggestion. Please please come. And the folks at Rainy Day Books are great.
The love for bookstores, Smitten Kitchen, and Deb in this thread is so incredibly joy-giving.
Oh! If she came to KC, I might hyperventilate!! Meeting Deb is on the good ol’ bucket list for sure!! ??
Yes, please, Rainy Day Books in Fairway, KS!!
The Bookshelf in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Canada loves Smitten Kitchen! Or Ben McNally Books in Toronto!
Better than McNally… come to Another Story Bookshop in Toronto. An independent with the most beautiful wall of showcased cookbooks!
Parnassus in Nashville, please, please pretty please? :)
An Unlikely Story in Plainville M
http://www.anunlikelystory.com/
bring Jacob – the owner is Jeff Kinney of the Wimpy Kid series
I think we need to go there this summer regardless — my son is obsessed. I kind of imagine every customer has a 7 year-old in tow.
The Book Larder, or Elliott Bay Book Company, in Seattle! And if you announced via your newsletter email that would be great so we have a chance at getting tickets!
Schuler’s Books, Grand Rapids MI (a real-live independently-owned bookstore)
I should add that Grand Rapids is quite a cool city. If you come during spring-fall you can see an unbelievable farm to table food scene. And it’s been voted one of the best beer towns in the US and is in the middle of a wine growing area. And gorgeous beaches nearby.
Bookshop Santa Cruz in well… Santa Cruz, CA. Would love to have you come!
Atlanta is sadly light on independent book stores (I think last time you did something with A Capella which is a great choice). But if you’ll come to Atlanta, I’ll be glad to help you organize! Could always look at Cook’s Warehouse at Ansley. Please don’t pass us by, though–you have to change planes in Atlanta to get anywhere else in the southeast anyway, right! ;)
I would never miss Atlanta! I think we worked with a local pub and it was really chill, or I liked the vibe a lot.
If you’ll be in Atlanta, you should come to Tallahassee, Florida!
Another vote for Tallahassee–The Midtown Reader opened recently, and it’s a very lovely little shop. Or perhaps the Bookshelf in Thomasville, GA? I would love to attend an event out this way to meet such a fabulous author!
The Little Shop of Stories in Decatur (great “small town” within Atlanta) is a fab independent kids’ book store (with a section for grown ups that does include cook books). Great book selection and a train track to play with, and ice cream and good restaurants just across the square :)
#keepitindiecatur
Omnivore Books in San Francisco! It specializes in cookbooks and is lovely for a reading.
Politics And Prose in Washington DC— saw you there for the first book!
Seconded! Omnivore is so special and I have been introduced to many great cookbook authors there. Would LOVE to see you at one of their events!
In fact that’s an understatement. I might die with excitement.
I’d be thrilled if you returned to Bookshop Santa Cruz in, wait for it: Santa Cruz, CA. Love your first book and had fun at your signing here.
Changing Hands in Phoenix, Az! It sounds like you’re not doing anything until after summer at least so it will only be in low 100’s!
Come visit Jungle Jim’s International Market in Cincinnati! They are an amazing, huge grocery store with a great cooking school and I’m sure they would love to have you :-)
Congratulations on the book! Can’t wait to buy a copy. I want to take the opportunity to tell your readers who may not know that there is a boycott underway of Amazon by consumers who wish Amazon would not advertise on Breitbart News. Many other companies have responded to customer requests by pulling their ads from Breitbart, but so far, Amazon has not.
We like to shop at our local bookstore and use the library for any books we’re not cooking out of (or drooling on).
The book looks great!
Yes, and as with last time, there are lots of different stores to choose from and we will add more as preorder links are up. Order from your favorite store. All the book information will be parked here: /books/
Sarah,
Please let us keep this wonderful site free of your own personal political views.
This is not the place for you to push your agenda, it is Deb’s blog and an open and happy place to visit. Thank you!
Yes. Agree.
Couldn’t agree more!
Disagree completely. All this is is letting the rest of us know something to think about re: ordering from Amazon books vrs (as Deb put it: lots of different stores to choose from and we will add more as preorder links are up. Order from your favorite store).
I took it as informational as well as a plea. Now, we all can include that information as we make our decisions on who to order from.
I can’t wait to have this in my kitchen! I think you and your blog are a treasure. We have cooked our way through your first book a few times over and visit your blog every time we make a grocery list. My fiance and I joke that we should invite you to our wedding — your culinary presence is huge in our home! You always have the perfect thing for a Tuesday night at home or a special occasion dinner. Thank you x a million.
I am RIDICULOUSLY excited about this! The Jersey Shore taco intrigues me and I’m wondering if it’s inspired by MOGO? I’m way on board with the theme and inspiration behind the recipes you describe here. YES to delicious food that takes a little longer than a Dump Dinner (yikes) but not long enough to make you feel like it wasn’t worth the wait and effort. Pre-Ordering!
Ding ding ding. And it’s also one of the fastest recipes in the book. :)
The MOGO tacos sound wonderful!! Just reading their menu gave me lots of ideas.
Congratulations! Looking forward to buying your new book. I use your recipes frequently, and they are always wonderful. I made your big crumb rhubarb coffee cake this weekend for Mother’s Day and everyone loved it. Thank you for doing all of the hard work for the rest of us!
Hi Deb! Pre-order completed. You’re tucked into my Amazon cart cozied up next to Ottolenghi’s Sweet. I think you’ll get along just fine :)
Thank you for another bookshelf beauty!
This is so exciting! Pre-order – done! Let’s hope Mother Nature will be in a much better mood this October. Congratulations!
How could I forget?! What a horrible week.
Would you know if majority of these recipes will be easily made kosher? I’d looove to get this book as I immensely enjoy your blog but I want to know if it would be practical for me.
Thanks!!
I think so. Excluding desserts, breakfast baked goods, breads, and drinks (because they’re vegetarian anyway), 46 recipes are vegetarian, and 16 are vegan. 51 recipes are gluten-free and 37 are dairy-free. I don’t have an exact listing of what’s kosher/kosher-able because it can be even more complicated, but hopefully that gives you an idea. Also, I’m just saying, there’s a vegetarian matzo ball soup. :)
VEGETARIAN MATZO BALL SOUP!!!!!!
I half-butt mine every year, but this, coming from you, will be so much better!
I would order it just for this! Vegetarian-ing matzo ball soup has defeated me every time. I miss it and all the wonderful memories of my grandfather’s family that it stirs up. I can’t wait to get this book!
Ohhhhh so excited!! I do a traditional chicken soup with matzah balls for the majority of my seder every year but then wing it to make a separate veg one for our one vegetarian – she seems to like it (and I think it tastes fine) but I never really know what I’m doing, and I am so excited for this!!! HAPPY DAY!!
I keep a kosher kitchen and there is little in the first book I can’t make as is, or tweak a bit. Can’t wait for the oncore !
I love that you cared enough to figure out how many veg, gf, etc. recipes there are. It helps. One of these days, I’ll amass a collection of recipes to feed to my poor friend who can’t eat cheese, garlic, gluten, or almonds. (A life without cheese and garlic is not a life I want to contemplate!) Your chicken with grapes and olives is a great start, though.
Its my birthday! And you posted this! It feels like its just a present for me :)
Congrats on getting this out the door and I cannot wait to see your new book.
Happy Birthday ?
Happy birtday :) :)
Hope you have a smitten-kitchen-cake ….
Happy Birthday
YEEEESSSS!! That is all for now. :) And congrats, of course! Can’t wait to see your newest beauty!
Congratulation on your book! Please tell me your preferred mandolin brand? I have yet to purchase one, but this recipe will push me over the edge. Thanks.
Thank you! I have this one and it’s perfect and it stores flat. They have a wider one now available; next time I buy one, I’m buying that instead. Also, not to keep throwing stuff to buy at you, but a lot of readers here swear by these cut-resistant gloves. I’m stubborn and haven’t bought them but my fingertips wish I would.
Please buy them Deb. I had an incident two years ago, lost the tip of my pinky. Even though it’s healed and looks normal, it feels different to me.
Your book has been pre-ordered. Of course.
I got seven stitches in my finger two months ago when I sliced deeply into the finger as well as the onion. I still lack feeling on that side of the fingertip. I’ve been meaning to buy a mandoline, but I’m thinking the cutting gloves will be a must!
I sliced off the tip of my finger pad while working in a kitchen a decade ago — the wound was wide enough that they couldn’t stitch it together and had to apply “fake skin” to cover it until it healed. It doesn’t bother me that there’s a visible scar, but I really can’t stand the numbness and weird feeling/strange pain I get whenever that scar presses on anything. It’s horrid. I’ve been *so* careful with knives and mandolines ever since — I tend take extra time and waste a bit of food rather than risk cutting my myself again. I keep debating getting those gloves, if only to make my husband use them [he tends to rasp his knuckles on graters].
Congratulations, Deb! Your recipes never disappoint. Your zucchini pancakes are in regular rotation in our house and I was just printing your tall, fluffy buttermilk pancakes recipe to make next weekend. I can’t wait to get my hands on that new cookbook of yours. Also, as a Portuguese girl living in Portugal, let me just say it was wonderful reading your adventures in our tiny but very beautiful country!
Will small red potatoes work? Just bought several pounds of them.
I didn’t try it with red. I think, I’m not positive, they’re slightly less waxy than yukon golds, however, many pommes anna recipes use russets, which are more floury than all of the above. It’s worth trying. Worst case scenerio, it’s not as bronzed and crisp. It should still, I hope, taste great.
Yay can’t wait for your new book deb! Can’t wait to hear your book tour dates, please have one in Toronto again :)
Yes! Please please!
I will definitely head back to Toronto. I cannot get over what a fun event it always is.
Hooray! Looking forward to it already ;)
yeah, will see you there
yay!!
Yay! So excited!
Just ordered, so looking forward to it. Thank you for teaching me how to cook! :)
Hi!
Will the recipes contain equivalents in metric units (in the US or UK version)?
Thanks!
Absolutely. The recipes in the U.S. and Canadian editions have measurements in cups, spoons, and weights. The UK edition will skip the American measurements, of course.
Congratulations! Your recipes are favorites at our house and we are always ready for more.
Oh I’m so excited! And it comes out on my birthday :) What an excellent birthday present to myself. If you’re doing a book tour, you should look at some of the Tattered Cover bookstores in the Denver area. They’re cool bookstores and I would love to meet you in person!
“I didnĄ¯t want to operate from the assumption that cooking is drudgery, when for so many of us, itĄ¯s a much-needed escape.”
Yes, thank you! If this is anything like your last cookbook it’ll be covered in notes and splattered with sauce in no time. I can hardly wait for October.
I can’t wait for the book! It looks fabulous. Is this one going to be jacket-less? I feel like I remember you saying you wanted no jacket for your last book but were overruled.
You have a great memory. This time, get this, I pressed for the jacket! I know, it makes no sense, but I enjoyed, at the end, having two covers, the classic one you see here and a little surprise inside for those of us (like me!) who dislike jackets.
I took the jacket off my copy of your first book, but I didn’t want to get rid of it. I found it fit almost perfectly on my copy of Sky High, so it’s layered under that book’s jacket, so I can always change my mind. :) Can’t wait to see what the inner cover looks like for this one!
YAY! Congrats! So excited for this new book to come out. I hope you plan to do another book tour :)
Specifically, I hope you return to Bookpeople in Austin ;)
I would love to! That was so much fun.
I would fly from CT to Austin (and visit my daughter!) if you came to BookPeople!!!
Although, R.J. Julia’s Bookstore in Madison or Middletown, CT would be AWESOME, too!! ;-)
:) I had fun there last time — maybe again!
My city (Lexington KY) just lost a great independent bookstore – but if you were to go to RJ Julia in Madison say, around, December holiday times, that would be freakin’ excellent. Just sayin’. :)
Yes! We are planning it now. If you have a favorite bookstore in your town, let me know! It totally counts.
Blue Willow Books, Houston.
Come to Madison, WI! We have cheese curds and great beer!
Please come to Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, CA.
I second Wisconsin! I drove from Milwaukee to Chicago to meet you last time and would be happy to drive to Madison.
Agree, please Wisconsin – Milwaukee or Madison!
Boswell Books in Milwaukee!
Yes! I am in Milwaukee, WI also. I am happy to travel to Chicago or Madison to visit where ever you come! Thank you, Deb! You have taught me to love cooking.. especially for others. Thanks for all you do for us.
Any bookstore in D.C. — I’ll go wherever you come!
Tattered Cover in Denver!
East City Bookshop in DC. Luisa Weiss spoke there last year so you’ll be in good company!
Or Politics & Prose in DC!
I got to go there last time and it was one of the most fun events of the tour (it helped that my awesome mom came). But there’s so much great stuff in DC; I’m open for anything.
Yes, please somewhere in DC!
Am willing to drive anywhere in LA except for Hollywood/Beverly Hills area (traffic! traffic! traffic!). I was so disappointed when your stop in LA for your first book was on a Friday in West Hollywood. So please consider a more accessible place or even better multiple stops in LA :) And am pretty sure there’s tons of people here ready to make it worth your while! Thanks!
As for favorite bookstores:
http://www.sandpiperbooks.net/home.html
http://www.pagesabookstore.com/
I know, it was really hard to get there and I even have friends (friends!) in LA who were like “Nope! Not on a Friday!” We’ll do our best!
Vromans in Pasadena would be another good LA area option!
The Avid Reader in Sacramento, America’s farm to fork capital!
Yes to the Avid Reader in Sacramento!
Words bookstore, Maplewood, NJ
Great local bookstore that hosts numerous author events!
P.S. I love the original (rejected!) title!
Brookline Booksmith in Brookline, MA! Right outside Boston and all the good eggs come through there?
Yes – Brookline Booksmith !
Brazos Bookstore in Houston!
Congratulations! Are you going to do another book tour?!
I can’t wait to order the book! It’s coming out two days after my birthday so I’m hoping that you’ll be touring near Los Angeles ( the kids will love Disneyland, legoland, universal studios) so I can have it signed! Mazel Tov!
YAY!! Can’t wait. Hopefully you will come to Boston on the book tour :)
YES!
Ah! YAY! It looks so beautiful :)
Come to Detroit! Its a really fun food city. Also there is a great bookstore called Literati in Ann Arbor! It would be so great if you came to Michigan.
I second this! Midwest is best. (But specifically, please come to Ann Arbor).
Yes Deb! This is so exciting! Your first book has been used and used and used in my house, and I’ve gifted it to my dad who cooked his way through it as well. My birthday is in October, so I’ll plan on cooking all the goodies from your new book to celebrate! Congrats!!
Pre-order: done. Excited: check! Now, you know you want to visit gorgeous Montpelier, Vermont on your book tour (or even as a one-off)! We have a spectacular independent bookstore here: Bear Pond Books. It has a large selection of cookbooks that occupy a prominent wall in the store. Between enthusiastic local cooks and the New England Culinary Institute here in town, they must be an easy sell. Maybe we could work out a recipe demo/signing…
Alright, where’s the picture of the curly-haired tyrant? !
And secondly, I don’t have a U.S. mailing address. … :-(
But I will try the Potatoes Anna nevertheless :)
Congrats on your New book! !!! Yay…..
Awesome! Congrats for accomplishing another big project.
How do I get my hands on a signed copy?
Christmas List = Done!
Welp, preordering this will probably be the easiest purchasing decision I’ve made in a long time. You could probably write a cookbook called “Smitten Kitchen’s 110 Best Recipes for Cooking Cardboard” and I would still buy it.
Congrats Deb! Can’t wait to get my hands on this book. I’m guessing it would be crazy to give you the address of the closest UPS store near the border and drive over to pick it up to get that one recipe? :)
So excited for the book!!! The crispy potatoes in this dish remind me of a persian potato tahdig. I am such a sucker for a good potato recipe!! This looks absolutely fabulous!
I can’t even get over the joy I feel about this! Your ‘middle eastern nachos’ has become *the* dish I make for big groups of friends, romantic dinners for my partner and I, and decadent dinners for one. Since then I have become an avid reader and lover of your blog, and signed up to the newsletter (dangerous for my tummy). Pre-ordering this dream of a physical cook book right now, also so excited because I somehow missed you already had one out! Buying it. I love love how so many of your recipes are vegetarian, without my even realising and feeling like I’m missing out somehow. If you want to do a U.K. visit and come to Bath, you will make all my food dreams come true. I’ll cook you the perfect fried egg! (As per your lots-of-oil instructions).
Please come to Word bookstore in Jersey City! We’re just a PATH train ride away. :)
Oh my gosh, I’m so excited for you, and for all of us too! And I pre-ordered instantly because my second baby is coming any day now and my brain has stopped functioning for the most part.
Speaking of babies and kids…this new cookbook concept seems to be super family-friendly–YAY. Question for you if you have a minute: is there a tag on the site that would help me find the tried and tested foods that kiddos will actually eat and enjoy? Or a post that rounds up recipes of that ilk? It seems like your littles are pretty good eaters?! My almost 3 year old’s palate is limited to quesadillas, pizza, carbs, smoothies, and nuggets of all sorts, so I’m hoping I can convince his sister-to-be that vegetables are sort of OK, and often delicious! This is my biggest source of stress as a mom…I’m sure you can relate :)
First, thank you! Re, kids eating, I think someone else emailed me about this this morning so I owe a response but I don’t really have a section because I don’t have a very specific menu for them. I’d say overall, my son is a pretty good eater and my daughter throws food and occasionally takes a bite. If we (the adults) are going out or craving spicy Thai takeout or anything where our meal is separate, I will totally just make them pelmeni/vareniki (Ukrainian meat/potato dumplings, always in the freezer) or spaghetti and tomato sauce or simple pizza, total kid food. But if it’s all of us, I’m very selfish and I have a hard time motivating to cook anything but what I’m craving. I will leave the cayenne off the dish or put a particularly offensive ingredient on the side if possible, I will bait them to the table with plain rice or noodles with the dish, but I’m going to make what I want to make, i.e. the stuff you see here. I find it much less draining this way.
My kids are almost the same ages as yours (8 yo girl and 3 yo boy) and are generally decent eaters who eat a fair amount of non-kid stuff as I cook one meal for us all. But I will not lie – they will choose Annie’s Mac and Cheese over virtually anything I would make from scratch. And so we have the Annie’s test. I know it must be really a favorite (currently: chicken noodle soup for her, anything with tzatziki for him) if they would choose it over Annie’s. All that said, I keep hoping you’ll tag Jacob’s or Anna’s favorites, knowing that if one kid loves it, maybe another one will, too? (think about it! ;)
Also, I had to laugh at your proposed title. One of my lowest parenting moments was when it dawned on me that I was going to have to feed these people EVERY SINGLE DAY. It was not pretty!
And congrats on the book – can’t wait to order it!
I could have written any of the above, including the every single day part — I still haven’t recovered from this piece of parenting life I feel nobody warned me about. And thank you!
Congratulations on the book! Your cooking reminds me of an article in French Elle some years ago: the author (the hilarious Dr. Aga) asked whether a man could cook as well as a woman. She invited a famous French chef to a test: make a wholesome meal in 30 minutes (the average time French women said they spent making weeknight dinner). He came with a sous-chef. Dr. Aga explained that French housewives had no sous-chefs, and M. Chef would have to go it alone. He cut himself and despite blood it was hilarious. All to say that cookbooks for real people who cook real food in real life: perfect.
does the cheese come out gooey/is the cheese heavily present texture-wise? or is it more there for the flavor? i ask because this looks divine, but i have never been able to get over my aversion to melted cheese. (i know, i know — i swear my food tastes otherwise are extremely wide-ranging.) risotto with parmigiano reggiano (the real stuff) is as melty as i get, outside of pizza.
P.S. SO excited about the new cookbook! Can’t wait to get it!
Thank you and no, it totally doesn’t. Aged pecorino is a hard cheese like parmesan, it doesn’t get melty/gooey. It adds a salty funky kick.
Prettiest potatoes I’ve ever seen!
I can’t wait for this! Your first book (and blog) is really my most trusted source for quality recipes that always turn out great! I wish I had a US address for that extra bonus! Maybe you can bring it in person to Toronto on your next book tour?! ;)
I’ll see what I can do! :)
I love pommes Anna, and have always made it in a regular pie dish. I was surprised when looking for a recipe online a few months ago that it’s apparently normally made in a skillet. Am I missing something, or is there a reason why it should be in a skillet (as in, it’s cooked on the stovetop)? Or maybe this is the reason why I need a new Le Creuset skillet?
Also, pie weights work really well over the tin foil while cooking- it compresses the potatoes and makes them so soft on the inside!
Despite repeated seasoning, my cast-iron skillet hates me. (That is, everything sticks to it.) Do you think this recipe would work in a cake pan or pie plate? I realize I’d have to melt the butter separately and pour it in, but I don’t see other steps that involve cooking on the stove-top. Thanks!
Yes, it totally will. Sometimes it doesn’t get as brown, but the broiler fixes most things. Most of the great color comes at the end.
As a Canadian temporarily living in the US, I’m curious to know if there are any differences between the Canadian and American editions. Thanks!
I will verify, but I’m 99% sure there aren’t except for who is sending it to the printers.
Congrats and Whew? I bet you are so relieved that this latest tome if finally final. However you did it, I’m sure I will be so appreciative of all your effort.
I have a request. Many of us won’t be able to be at a book signing but would love to have heard some of the discussions or some of the laughs. Could you podcast some of each so that we can at least get a feel for what went down? If not a podcast, a blog post of the best of the best in your amazing writing style would be a treat for everyone.
I think that’s a great idea! I’ll do my best.
Congratulations, Deb!!!!!!!!!!!!! #triumphantandunfussy is my new favorite hashtag!
I don’t know how it doesn’t thrill you to the core seeing “New York Times Best Selling Author” written under your name! WOW!
Congratulations!
Thank you. [It makes me very, very nervous. No pressure or anything, Deb!]
Congratulations! Please consider the Boulder Book Store in Boulder, Colorado for the book tour.
Second this suggestion!
Hooray! I’m so excited and know I will use this beautiful, thoughtful, brilliant book often (as I do your first book!). And thank you for embracing those of us who loving cooking, who find refuge and sanity (most of the time…) in the kitchen but who also have to make tasty food quickly during the week (hangry o’clock indeed!). It’s not often we can find something for us!
I’m so excited to see a date for this new book! Please come back to the book larder in Seattle!
I would love to!
Congratulations! As for the book tour I think it’s about time you squeezed in a family trip to Australia. You can’t go past Readings Books in Carlton (Melbourne) which is an independent bookseller. I’ll also throw in free accomm and a foodies tour of Melbourne!!
I wholeheartedly agree — wait, do I have to bring the kids? Are there, like, services that will take a 20-something hour flight with your kids for you? Uh, asking for a friend :) — and believe me, we even discussed it last time but it was quite a bit of a stretch. Perhaps I’ll have more luck this time.
As someone who takes 22-24 hour trips with a toddler almost every year, I promise you it’s not as hard as it sounds, assuming you have atleast 1:1 kid to parent ratio(in your case it might be 1:3 seeing how Jacob looks more and more like an adult). Endless inflight entertainment and supply of snacks and juice keep them happy :) Sometimes I find am more cranky than she is. Heh.
It would be so great if you could come to New Zealand, we love you over here, and an Aussie/NZ summer would be the best for a family holiday! :)
Yes yes yes! I second, third and fourth this! I love your recipes, I can’t count how many of them are on my regular rotation and would love to see you IRL. Plus, if you timed it for New York winter you could get a lovely Australian summer break…. Congrats on your new book!
I was about to suggest the same but you beat me to it. You SO need to come and visit us down under. Wrangle yourself an invitation to the Melbourne Food and Wine festival. A book tour just isn’t a book tour if it doesn’t take in Melbourne. That’s Melbourne Victoria, not Melbourne Florida. I’ll baby sit :D
I love this concept for a cookbook. I’m not new to cooking so I usually skip the “20-minute whatever’s-in-your-fridge” style books, because that’s just everyday cooking. I use a cookbook because it has things that I wouldn’t normally think of or that are a little tricky or just really nice.
I don’t generally buy cookbooks that aren’t vegetarian but I’m making an exception. It might be because of those potatoes on the cover.
Congratulations!! I love your site and have cooked my way through your first book many times. Can’t wait to get this one. Hope to see you in Toronto!
I am sooooo thrilled that SK2 is finally coming out! I’m sorry, however, that your Canadian friends are excluded from the bonus. Still, I consider it pretty awesome that your good humo(u)r and great recipes will soon join SK1 and the rest of my cookbook collection. Hoooray! It’s a good day. Thanks for all the good cheer and delicious recipes you bring to us, your faithful readers.
Yay! Congrats! I can’t wait!
It’s one of life’s great tragedies that I have to wait until 2018 for this to reach the UK ?. Patience is not one of my greater virtues! So unbelievably excited to get my hands on this.
I am so so excited for this book Deb. Can I please request an Australian book tour this time around too? I promise it will be worth it! Also, that hair is so adorable.
A really lovely recipe :)
Congratulations Deb! Such wonderful news. Oh yes please please come to Australia on your book tour!
Is there any chance 8 cups rocket in the salad is a typo – seems like a lot and would weigh more than 160grams?
Deb-I just have to know, if you ever pinch yourself, when noticing the subscript on the cover of the book, ‘New York times bestselling author’. Seriously? Your recipes and writing inspire thousands of us each day, and for that we thank you. I love a great success story, and few are greater than yours. Congratulations!
Deb, Just want to plug Coalese Books in Morro Bay, CA for the book tour, or Barnes and Noble in San Luis Obispo. I can’t wait to get my hands on the new book!
It just so happens 10/24 is my birthday. Your new cookbook will be an excellent gift for someone to give me. Cheers SK, can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Congrats!So exited for it!
I am so excited about the new cookbook. I actually placed my order for both of your cookbooks just now, so I will get one soon, and one as a lovely surprise in the fall.
I am only disappointed that the bonus recipe will not be coming to me in Canada.
(sad sigh)
I can’t wait for your new book and am trying this recipe next week! Thanks for always making me hungry for dinner at 7 am ?? Congrats on the book!!!
Any idea what NYC event(s) there might be? I want to preorder because who doesn’t want a bonus recipe and to get the book ASAP, but if there’s some sort of release day event/buy the book there type thing I don’t want to end up with two copies (though that’s probably not the worst thing in the world). Either way, I’m very excited for the book!
So exciting!! This independent bookseller has her fingers crossed for a tour, too! :D
Even if I made zero recipes from your new cookbook (which is impossible), it would still be worth it to pre-order the book as I feel like I owe you for all of the free and wonderful recipes I use from your blog!! Consistently the best!!!
Two questions actually: who is your publisher? I own a gift store and want to bring it in for Christmas gift giving. Is it available for order now through your publisher. If I order copies through the publisher now do I get the freebie if I send you a copy of the order? Can’t wait to get it!!!
The book is published by Knopf. I have contact information for the people working on the book on this page: /books/ And thank you!
Can’t wait to get your new book! I use your first one all the time! Congratulations!
I’m so excited for the book release. The Cacio Pepe Potatoes are on the to do list!
Congrats! So exciting :) Can’t wait to pre-order! Just wish this bonus pre-order recipe was also outside the US… doesn’t mean I can’t preorder though ;)
congrats again x
Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park, California!! But, I’d drive anywhere in the Bay Area to see you!!!
Hi Deb, Congrat on the new cookbook! The potato anna looks fabulous and something I want to eat now :)
I’m sure the book will be wonderful, and completely worth the labor longer than both kids combined! ;)
I’m always so happy to see you! Would love to have you come to Odyssey Books in South Hadley MA. I can guarantee a great crowd, and if you wanted to do a cooking demo class, A Different Drummer would be a great place. Or my kitchen!
I was just sharing on Facebook how excited I am that I just pre-ordered the book. A friend asked the question, if we go to a book signing (we did last time, so fun!!!), do we need to purchase the book at that bookstore, or can we just show up with our own copy?
Great question! We are in the early stages of planning now, however, last time, mindful of all of the people who had preordered the book, we worked with bookstores and venues that were totally okay with people bringing in previously purchased books. I’d like to do exactly this again. It is only fair to everyone here.
I completely understand the predicament that the bookstores are in (we want them to be around, they need to sell books, etc.) but preorder enthusiasm is also used by stores to gauge whether they want to even host me/us. :) Plus, people often buy other books while they’re there.
That little one calling her brother is so precious. He must have a lot of patience with her, and with any luck he will be able to maintain that level of “connectedness”. That should allow him to ease past her “crazy years”; which will definitely come, your mom is right. She is a darling ticking time-bomb! 8th grade girls are the worst. If she were that age now you would have chosen another recipe for the cover… one without the name Anna in it. ;)
The tomato story reminded me that the recipe on the front of the “old” cookbook is one of my all time favorites! Fabulous combination of flavors. I think I ate 3 at one sitting the first time. Tough not to.
This looks amazing! I need to make this asap.
Don’t miss San Francisco!
PS. Are you aware of any vegetarian substitutes for pecorino Romano? I love it but don’t want to eat it since it’s typically made with lamb rennet.
Atticus Bookstore in New Haven, CT
Will immediately go order your new cookbook, since I loved your first and use it often. I also love your suggested title for the new book – why did they reject it?
Since we are all adding where you must visit, consider Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi. It’s a delightfully open minded town just 1 hour south of Memphis. I think you’ll love it and be surprised at how much you may like it.!
Deb, this is a PHENOMENAL premise for a cookbook. So often I dislike recipes touted as “quick!” and “dinner in 20 minutes!” and the like, because they taste like shortcuts. An extra ten minutes for a delicious recipe is, I believe, well worth it. Thanks for the awesome upcoming book:0)
Yay!! I’m really excited for this. I can’t eat gluten, my daughter can’t eat dairy, and sometimes I substitute the heck out of your recipes, and still they work. Congrats on the second book! :)
I made your Alfredo pasta tonight, and added homegrown asparagus, chopped, and dry- smoked salmon on the side.
Your sauce is delicious, and was easy to make and eat.
Yay, Deb!! This is exactly the Smitten Kitchen kind of cookbook I will love, can’t wait to get it in my heads. Meanwhile, off to make these potatoes… we’ve just recently gone to Rome and cacio e pepe anything will be well received in my household!
Oh please come to Print in Portland, ME! Wonderful book store and all kinds of wonderful restaurants and did I mention it’s Vacationland? I love all your recipes and writing and congratulations on your latest gorgeous wriggling grinning result of labor!
Dear Deb
Congratulations re new arrival.
However this suggestion
“Gently tip your skillet over the sink to drain any excess butter or oil.”
Deserves to get you haunted by the fat Golem of the sewers ! Suggest people Google ” fatberg removed from west London sewer” to see the incremental consequences of this technique. Bit like bees only making one teaspoon of honey it will just add up. I’ve even been caught in the countryside with single house drainage and I “don’t use much fat”.
Lol, Golem. That’s my dad’s favorite threat. To be fair, the recipe tester told me to add exactly this (“I would avoid draining over the sink, as fat is bad for drains.” is verbatim from her note) and I’m not sure why I did not but she and I both noted that this isn’t the type of Potatoes Anna (usually with 8T of butter or more) where there was anything worth draining. Almost nothing pours off. Hopefully I can ward off the Golem for another day.
Amazing !! Love to eat.
Woohoo! So exciting, and congratulations on Book Child #2! Best new year’s present for us UK folks :)
Ahhh AMAZING!!! CONGRATULATIONS on the new book!!!! Cannot wait to read it – so excited! Just emailed for the bonus recipe – thank you!! :)
Meanwhile, I have a general, basic cooking equipment question for you, Deb – knives!
I need to get my knives sharpened and feel lost. I’m talking my beloved basics: the chef’s knives and paring knives that I use constantly. I cook a fair amount and have good ones but definitely need to take better care of them. Don’t know if it’s worth the expense of taking them somewhere (where?) or if I should just learn how to do it myself, already – but they’re really, really overdue to be sharpened. (Don’t know if I’m likely to screw up my good knives if I try this myself… any good, not-super-risky methods for that if I can be kinda klutzy/nervous?)
Not sure if you’ve addressed that on here sometime over the years and I’ve missed it… my apologies if you have! Think I’m just worried about parting with my knives if I take them in somewhere, or completely ruining them if I try this myself. No clue how easy it is to do, how often you’re actually “supposed” to do it, etc., and feeling totally lost. Would love your advice!!
Thanks so much!!
(Didn’t mention before, but of course I pre-ordered… now I’m just trying to think of who needs to receive this book as a gift! I’m going to be thinking about cooking all day now – so happy!!!)
Anyway, hope to hear your thoughts on knife sharpening if you get a chance! Thanks again!
Thank you! Re, knife-sharpening: my situation is abysmal. My knives need love. I take them to the knife-sharpening lady at Chelsea Market from time to time but it’s been a looong time. I use a Furi sharperner inbetween but it’s not the best system. Deb is soon, as in, in the next month, going to finally learn to properly use a sharpening stone and then I’ll report back on what I’ve learned. My current system is not ideal.
You know what, if you’re in this situation, too, I feel so comforted that I’m in such good company!! Looking forward to reading about what you learn :)
Congratulations on your new book Deb, it looks brilliant and goes precisely to my love of cooking. Even when I am utterly exhausted, I love to get into the kitchen and cook to unwind, relax and create something wonderful to share with my husband. Can’t wait to see the new book. Is there any way of preordering in Australia?
My eyes (and mouth) watered at “a whole section of soups and stews”. Can’t wait!
Book sounds amazing, can’t wait! Plus, omg those potatoes!
Congratulations! I’m so excited to get, share, and make wonderful food from your new book! I probably have close to 200 cookbooks but yours, and your blog, are the sources I use the most—-and your lively, engaging writing is the most fun ever. I’m pre-ordering pronto! Alas, summer is so short here, I don’t want to wish it over—-even for your book. But what a treat to look forward to! Mazel Tov from your Vermont fan club. P.S. come to Vermont—we’re the green, food obsessed spot just a few hours up the road.
Preordered today! Absolutely cannot wait to see it!
This recipe reminds me slightly of Saltie’s staggering potato tortilla. Their cookbook mentions serving slices on ciabatta with pimenton aioli. I may try using your recipe in the same way, which feels much less intimidating. As always, thank you for the fantastic recipes!
congratulations, deb!
i will be preordering in no time. beautiful post and i never mind waiting for something from you because i know it will be worth it, that you’re doing it because you want it to be right. (and because you’re a real human being, dammit.)
ps, call it wait, didnĄ¯t i just feed you yesterday? and i’m totally in. i may not have kids, but i do have a partner i cook for six days a week – even when i’m not hungry and/or would sooner have cheese and crackers for dinner. ;) and we have enjoyed many a deb recipe, more than a handful several times over.
pps, thanks too for the bonus potato recipe in this post. it’s going to be 90 degrees today and tomorrow, but in the 60s all next week, and it’s definitely going on the table then.
Can I assemble this in the morning and bake later in the day?
Yes. It also reheats well.
Congratulations on the new book! I’m a Canadian/American living in the UK, and was wondering what the differences between the US version and the UK version will be? Other than the lack of US measurements in the UK version. Trying to decide if I should get my mom to get me the US version in October so that I have it before January!
Great question! The UK edition might have additional ingredients listed as they would be sold across the pond, so it’s easier to shop recipes, but otherwise they’ll be largely the same.
My husband bought my first SK cookbook for me. I sat down and read it cover to cover. My new bff, I wanted to be able to talk to Deb everyday, ask her what she was making for dinner (breakfast, lunch)! Yippee!! Another book!!
This is very, very exciting. I literally lived out of your first book my second year at college (yes, I was one of *those* students!), and I still take it everywhere from flat to flat with me.
Also, not you, but when I added it to my wishlist Amazon suggested ‘other people also saved’ my own book. Which is literally the best thing to happen to me this week!
I squealed with delight! (And then pre-ordered.) I can’t wait. This is actually perfect since #2 will arrive shortly after the cookbook.
Come back to Left Bank Books in St. Louis.
I saw your there on your first tour and it was great!
I am putting my comment in the “I made this”, but caveats:
I had a russet that was parboiled
I used a mini (5-6 inch) cast iron skillet (Lodge) because I cook for me
My little skillet is well seasoned!
In prep for my first CSA distribution which will include arugula, I made arugula pesto from what I had before seeing this recipe and so topped the potatoes with that pesto and a poached egg.
Otherwise, I followed the recipe and it was wonderful! I decreased time because my russet was partially cooked. It slide out of my little pan.
Major YUM!
Oh… I just thought … I’m thinking same treatment with sweet potato and gruyere.
Thanks for the notes! I’m also cooking for one and have an 8 in Lodge castiron so these are helpful. Now if only I could ever hope to get a poached egg right ;)
I finally conquered them, and have continued success, by bringing the water to a simmer, then turning it down until I see only occasional pin-head size bubbles. You definitely do not want the water moving from bubbles in any way. Break your egg into a small dish to gently slip the egg into the water, and cook for two minutes. Using a dish to transfer the egg into the water makes it easier to get the whole egg into the water at once.
I mostly use eggs that have been laying around in the fridge – definitely not “fresh” – and using this method, I’ve had great luck every time.
I do almost exactly as honey.badger, the difference being I do use fresh farm eggs from a neighbor’s chickens … large yolks!
Schulers Books in Grand Rapids MI – a real-live independently owned bookstore in a cool city.
Looks gorgeous and sounds absolutely delicious!
Congratulations on book two! Can’t wait to grab a copy :)
I hope you will consider Prairie Lights in Iowa City, Iowa…wonderful place ..b
Oh, oh, (frantically waves arms in the air) please add Vancouver, Canada to the long list of cities that would be honoured to host you, Deb! Congratulations on the new edition. You are a rock-star!!
Love this recipe! It was a bit like what I usually do, but I’d never thought of the cheese before… I tried it last night, and it was wonderful! I must admit that I did go overboard on the salt, because I forgot that the cheese is already salty. We found ourselves drinking a LOT of water after dinner, but it was scrumptious and I’ll remember for next time.
That Looks so amazing. I will be adding this to my upcoming grocery list. Can’t wait to try it!
Congratulations on finally having a new cookbook, I for one have been eagerly but not patiently waiting, so Im looking forward to having it in October.
Im sure it will do as well if not better than the first, I should have asked you to bring out a wipeable version, as there are a large number of my pages in your book that are stuck together, also food stained and well used. I couldn’t live without it. You are a true inspiration and Im glad that you decided to start blogging all those years ago. You are my go-to-chef.
Do you think parmesan would be a good enough substitude?
Absolultely. It’s less salty so use more salt.
Bella!
I’m so excited!!! I just ordered it! Now, about that one bowl cake you say is in there with multiple flavor options… I’m so excited! Just this afternoon, my 5-soon-to-be-6 year old requested a strawberry cake for her birthday next week. Would you still recommend the “Pink Lady Cake” from 2008, or a hack on the Peach’s and Cream cake from last year? (We are in Arizona, and the peaches on my parents’ peach tree are just coming on! I tried to talk her into a peach cake, but she’s a girly girl, and wanted it PINK, not peach)
Holy cannoli YES to the new cookbook and especially to this recipe! I’ve been referencing your site for recipes for going on 6 years now but I just recently bought the first cookbook. I can’t wait to try some of the breakfast recipes on a brunch birthday party in a few weeks. You inspired me to get into cast iron cooking and so this recipe in particular looks absolutely scrumptious.
A lot of the recipes in the first book are high yield so as a single lady they’re a bit harder for me to tackle regularly. Do you think this next book will have stuff that’s more easily condensed to one or two servings (or at least can make leftovers easily)? I can definitely say I’m looking forward to the vegetarian mains (turning veg in college is what first brought me to this site, and even though I’m an omnivore again as well, I still find your veggie dishes amazing)!
Most things are. I tend to sometimes consider serving sizes when writing recipes but just as often consider package sizes, i.e. not writing things so that you’d only use 2/3 of a can of beans or tomatoes or have, like, 1/4 cup of dried lentils left from a 1-pound package, if that makes sense. Almost anything can be halved, just sometimes it more awkward than others. I try to note where things keep, freezer, or reheat well.
Deb,This is Ann, the RVer, posting again. Congratulations on the new cookbook.
In five years of RVing, I buy all my reading material for my kindle. EXCEPT for your cookbooks. I have your first book and have preordered your new books. Can’t wait to get it. I hope you come to the Disney World area in Florida between November and February for your book tour. Thanks again for all your hard work.
This site is the best. Smitten Kitchen is the “go to” in our house!
Thank you! I do too — and my kids of course. :)
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS THAT I JUST TOLD EVERY MEMBER OF MY HOUSEHOLD, INCLUDING THE TWO-YEAR-OLD AND THE DOG!
Barnes and Noble in Marlton, NJ! Puhleeze!! :)
Going to pre-order the book now! Can’t wait to get it! And the postcard! Mail from Deb! ;) I love it!!! :)
Sorry I just realized I left out another place if Marlton isn’t one of your top ten spots ;)
Books a Million in Mays Landing, NJ. Not exactly a hotspot either, but perhaps you might consider it? :)
Please come to Books and Books in Coral Gables, Florida. Or consider the Miami Book Fair in November. It’s a very large event and there is a large culinary presence.
I’m in. Love your site. Am a major lurker. ?on Vromans in Pasadena. ?on Fridays. The 405 on a Friday? Oy Vey! Love the pics especially the reading child. As a librarian (medical) it delights my heart + gives me hope for the future! ?
MaryO1230
San Pedro, CA
I am so excited to see another cookbook from you! I refer to the first one all the time; just like the website version, the recipes are amazing and the photos are beautiful. Congratulations and I can’t wait to buy it!
That looks good!
I made this tonight! I love the simplicity. I do think the seasoning, as written, is slightly too little. My final dish was slightly under seasoned despite being pretty aggressive in the mixture. I imagine the relative saltiness of the cheese is an important factor. I would have upped it just slightly all around. This with the dressed arugula turned a simple roast chicken dinner into something just a bit more special and lovely.
Cannot wait for your new book! Made this tonight and it was really good. I didn’t have any greens so I made chimichurri to drizzle on top and it was delicious. A note and a question: First, my potatoes were small, which I believe made this more work than it had to be, and also meant that the final product didn’t hold together very well (which didn’t really matter). Next time I’ll use larger potatoes. My question- when I grated and weighed my cheese (used parm rather than pecorino), 1/2 cup was only 22 grams and didn’t look like it would be nearly enough to sprinkle on all of the potato layers. I ended up using more, but am wondering if I should have really tightly packed the cheese into the measuring cup to get it up to 65 g? Or could 65 g of parm differ that much from 65 g of pecorino? It was such a large discrepancy that I figured I’d ask. Thanks for another hit- my toddler highly approved of the crunchy bits, so that was a major win!
I’m so glad it worked out. This recipe went through an insane number of rounds of testing so, for once, I probably know every angle of any issue that could come up. Small potatoes: Actually look prettier, I found! In terms of holding together, definitely more tricky. I did find in the case of small potatoes and really most sizes, but especially small, that if rested it longer before serving — and I get this is not a reality for dinner when you’re making it at dinnertime — it seemed to settle and glue together better.
Parmesan and pecorino weights: My great nemesis. First, their weights are really the same so what I say here applies to both. The range in weights is staggering depending not just on how you grate it but the brand of the small-hole grater. A microplaned half cup can weight approximately what a paperclip does ;) — is this what you used? I got so frustrated that on my own master lists of weights, I noted this during testing, like this is copied from my own notes: “King Arthur and others call 1/2 cup = 50 grams but I consistently get 65 to 70 on tiny holes of box grater. Erring lower.” Does that help? Probably not, just know that it’s not just you.
I’m glad it was a hit!
You solved the mystery, of course! I did use a microplane. Thanks for clearing that up; I thought I was losing it a bit, which wouldn’t be out of the question, since I cooked this with a clingy, teething toddler wrapped around my leg yelling “Mama! Mama!” Thank you so much for the response and once again, anxiously awaiting your book release!
Congratulations on submitting your completed manuscript! I’m so excited for this!
Hi Deb, when can I preorder the Kindle version in Australia? Thanks!
I’m going to have some answers about Australia shortly. I’ll respond as soon as I do. Thank you.
I am just commenting so I get the follow up reply :)
Same as T – following this thread for the reply :)
Same here! Australia please! Also, what an excellent name, Deb ;)
If you come to Minneapolis and need food recommendations let me know :)
So excited for the second book!!
If using a 10 inch cast iron, how much would you scale up the ingridients? Going to serve this with a mustard glazed standing rib roast and some gruyere popovers! Strawberry summer cake for dessert!
Also, your cookbook announcement made my day! Pre-ordering now! Thank you!
Thank you! You’ve made mine. :) I’d say you can 125% it.
Just preordered. Await with pleasure the new book!
I pre-ordered your book! Looking very forward to it. I live in Canada, so I realize I’m not eligible for the mailed copy of the recipe. Would you be able to email it for people outside of the U.S?
Thanks!
Excited for the new book. Everything we’ve tried from the first has been outstanding (red wine velvet cake? yes, please – all the time)
Can’t hardly wait!
Given how much I love this blog, obviously I had to pre-order the new cookbook (I have the other and love it). Looking forward to digging in! :)
I wish I could buy it! If I had money of course. :(
Congrats! Excited to read this new cookbook!
sonds awesome recipe.. :) my kids will love it.. :)
Hi Deb,
I love this blog and your first cookbook! I read the book and your recipes even when I’m not cooking from it!
The new book looks great – are they all new recipes or are they mostly recipes from your blog?
Thanks.
Not at all. The book has 115 recipes. 101 are new and there are 14 that originated on the site but are so loved, I thought the book would be bereft without them.
Yay, a new book!
Does this one have a ribbon (or 2) to put between favorite pages?
No, but I like that idea and I’m going to suggest that today and see how loud I can make my publishers yell. :)
This looks amazing. Just perusing the site and wondering if you have ever done a round-up of your favorite recipes… :) If not – would you? Would love to know what I NEED to cook this summer. x
In fact, I did a round-up of “your” (or readers as a whole) favorite recipes just a couple weeks ago, long overdue: /recipe-collection/best-of-smitten-kitchen/?format=photo I hope it gives you lots of ideas. Thank you.
yea for your new cookbook!! can’t wait to see what is in it!
Congratulations on the new book!! I can’t wait to cook from it!
Question on these amazing, drool-worthy potatoes… do you think a 9″ springform pan would work for making them?
Thank you and yes. I’m only concerned about leaking. Even in a tight one, butter is more liable to slip out than cake batter and you really want that first tablespoon in the bottom here. But I bet it will be fine. Keep an eye on it, baking times might be different or even faster since the pan will be less heavy.
I’ll try it and let you know how it goes! Thanks!
Beyond excited for your new books to come out. I can be on your website for hours on any given day just clicking the “Surprise Me” tab on the top.
Potatoes are always delicious in any way shape or form so will definitely be trying these out.
I work at a great little indie bookstore in Central New York (north of Syracuse, for you NYers) called the river’s end bookstore. You’re always welcome to add this stop to your tour!!
You should try making this with Landmark Creamery’s Pecora Nocciola, made by Anna Landmark and Anna Thomas Bates in southern Wisconsin . . . https://landmarkcreamery.com/
Thank you for the link. I see that they sell their cheeses at our neighborhood farmers’ market – I’ll look for them this weekend.
Deb, I’m so happy for you, cannot say enough. Jennifer said, “New York Times Best Selling Author”, wow, That is yours forever, like an Oscar. Amazing. You have become a friend, a sister (don’t have one), a person who teaches me (and my husband) delicious recipes & short-cuts, too. I’d better stop, but best wishes & congrats. Xo, Alex & Alex
Just finished this for dinner. DELICIOUS!!! I used Parmesan because I couldn’t find pecorino at the store and used an additional 1/4 t sea salt. Also used arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch. The directions are perfect. I sliced the potatoes about 2 hrs before dinner, covered them with a damp paper towel and put them in the fridge. Then at dinner time I poured the accumulated water off and proceeded. Very little discoloration. We served it with Caesar salad and Heidi Swanson’s Rye Soda bread. My husband, myself and our 18 month old all loved it and can’t wait to have it again. Great recipe! Thankfully there are leftovers which I imagine will be excellent for Saturday morning brunch. :)
Congratulations to you and your patient family and team members who toil behind the curtain supporting the magic unleashed in your kitchen. I’ve always had a soft spot for Alex since he indulged me with my phantom cooking friend–You. Had he been more selfish, I wouldn’t be able to turn my phone to its dimmest setting in the middle of the night –like now when it’s 3:00 am Chicago time— (so as not to disturb my husband), and read countless excerpts from your site and the emails I’ve anxiously opened and saved for so many years. I’ve given the first book numerous times as a gift, and I’m looking forward to doing the same with its infant sibling. Thank you for your open-hearted approach to us strangers out here. We adore you!
What if just ONE person in New York mentioned the Jersey Shore without feeling the need to insult it? Deb, you know you could end up living here, so please don’t set up your neighbors-to-be to be annoyed when you move in, no doubt making endless excuses and apologies and protesting that “it’s just like Brooklyn.”
I am from Jersey and adore it, go to the beach there almost every weekend we can in the summer. It’s not an insult. I fell in love with tacos there and attempted to recreate them in the book.
A huge congratulations to you!
One question re: this recipe. I don’t have potato starch or cornstarch, and since I don’t use them often (and am on a graduate student budget), is there anything I could substitute those with that I might already having lying around/find more uses for?
Thank you!
You can likely get away without them, I find it helps adhere the potatoes together slightly. But not significantly.
Hiya! I’m on a graduate student budget too, and cornstarch is so cheap it’s almost free!
Deb,
So far the galette is a success– looks beautiful and smells amazing. I won’t be serving it for another 4 hours or so– should I leave it in the cast iron and flip it after I reheat it or do that now and reheat it in a different pan?
I say leave it in the pan; I find it releases more easily after resting.
So I’ve made this twice! And it has been delicious both times. But it definitely isn’t as pretty as yours? First I did use a microplaner so that might account for less of the cheese mixture so that’s good to know. My other grater has large holes so I didn’t think that was an option. I don’t weigh things so will just compensate next time because I didn’t feel like I had enough cheese mixture either time. Also, mine didn’t appear as golden brown and potatoes definitely stuck to my skillet both times so I just ended up scraping them on top. Is there something I’m doing wrong? I used butter the first time and oil the second. No difference. Still stuck potatoes that were nonetheless delicious
I’d say that potatoes are very very prone to sticking in skillets and I was genuinely surprised mine haven’t here; I did find that — and I know this is a silly suggestion if you’re making it for dinner and want to eat it already — if you have time to rest it in the skillet cooling for a bit, they stick less, I guess the steam helps them release better. Most of the even top browning happens under the broiler for me.
Finally, a very annoying thing when writing this recipe was that sometimes the potatoes needed 3 layers and sometimes 4 meaning that sometimes you had more cheese mixture leftover and sometimes less. The recipe assumes the higher number of layers but the microplane “fluff” tends to collapse when mixed with other ingredients so that I can imagine that when you measure a couple tablespoons of it, it seems suddenly scant. Regardless, no reason you cannot use even twice as much next time.
I had the same problem of sticking!! I also tried again using oil instead of butter and unfortunately still had stickage both on the bottom layer against the pan and on the top layer against the foil.
Delicious but not nearly as pretty.
I made this for lunch yesterday and it was a big hit. I left my potatoes unpeeled to save a step. I did have the same issue as another reviewer, where my potatoes were not golden, but browned. I’ll try with ghee the next time.
Hello! I really want to make this, but I don’t have a broiler… Is there a way to get the same golden color- or at least a good amount of color without the broiling step at the very end?
Highest heat in your oven, closest to the heat source you can get. And keep a close eye on it.
Made this last night. Outstanding! Your directions were perfect.
I didn’t have a 9″ oven-proof skillet so I made mi e in a 9″ pie plate and it worked like a charm.
Oooh, thanks for the tip! I had to use a 10″ saute pan and I was wishing I had something a bit smaller to allow for more layers of potato. Noting for next time!
Oh my! My two oldest kiddos (38 & 36) are coming in in June with their families for a visit! I am planning on making this for them. I think it will go absolutely awesome with some grilled steaks (or burgers for the kids). Thank you so much for sharing! I am jealous of the trip to Rome for sure! I will let you know what my brood thinks of Cacio e Pepe Potatoes Anna. Such a blast as the 36 year old is Annie. :)
Hi Deb, congratulations on the new book!
I was just wondering if this recipe would be a good one to freeze in small portions? Possible after it has been cooked?
Cheers, Mish
I’d think so; potato dishes usually freeze well. I suppose you could also freeze it after the foil-on portion. It’s about 2/3 to 3/4 baked then. Since you’ll want to reheat it, might as well finish the whole dish in the oven when you do.
I made this delicious potato dish on Friday night and my husband is still raving about it 3 days later. It was a hit with our dinner guests. My cast iron is 12″ so I increased the quantities by 50% (i.e. 3 pounds of potatoes). I love the instruction to taste the cheese mixture for salt & pepper levels before assembling the dish. Congratulations, Deb! Thanks for the fantastic recipe.
Here’s an idea for a stop on the book Tour – The Book Shop in Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany New York. It’s a few stores down from the Different Drummer Kitchen Store or more recently known as the Cook’s resource.
Both are wonderful upstate NY establishments catering to those of us who love to cook!
You better believe I’ll be pre-ordering that amazing looking cookbook, Deb! I love your first cookbook and ALL your recipes on the blog – congrats on #2!!
Another book!!! Please tell me you’ll come to Australia one day. Please!! Though I do have a milestone birthday in January, so maybe I’ll have to swing over there…….
I made this and wow. It’s so so delicious. And truly tastes like cacio e pepe. I will definitely make again.
This seems very similar to your Herbed Summer Squash and Potato torte, when would you recommend this over that one or vise versa?
That one is softer and is absolutely wonderful when summer squash is in season.
I sent my order number to aaknopf@randomhouse.com the very minute I got notice of your new book. Congrats to you! Will I be getting notification of the recipe being sent? I have an APO address and things can take a loooong time to arrive — I need to keep track of things sent. Really looking forward to your book — now if I could just get potatoes where I live!
We just made this for dinner and it was wonderful. The kids loved it, too, but one said I put in too much black pepper (super fresh and ground large-I thought it perfect). We used a mix of arugula and pepper cress from the garden, and fresh radishes as well. The potatoes were so creamy and delicious- this is definately a new favorite dinner option. Thank you!
Congrats on your book , your recipes look lovely i’m excited to try some out
looks like a dainty tortilla espa?ola on the cover and it makes me :)
I AM SO HAPPY AND EXCITED AND HUNGRY I CAN’T WAIT :D
Love the cover
Yay yay yay! Missed this post while I was at the beach. So very excited for the new one!
Hooray! I’m glad to see you’ll be offering signed copies again. I got the first book from my husband signed by you with a Happy 28th (sigh) Birthday note, and now maybe this one can be for Happy 33rd? :D Will definitely be looking for details as you guys figure it out.
The cider dill pork chops are straight out of my dreams. We love them.
Thank you! It’s been too long since I made those. All hail the skinny chop!
Can’t wait!! Preordered and now will pace by the mailbox until it arrives!
Definitely making these potatoes.
Thanks so much.
Hi Deb, just preordered the book (!!) and I am looking forward to the surprise recipe. Is the preorder confirmation number just the order number? Thanks!
Yes, I think that’s it. And thank you!
I CANNOT WAIT for your next book! I love the first one, and every single one of your recipes that I’ve made. ( which is a lot of them). Plus, I want to give you money so that you continue on this path. Thank you!
Thank you.
I have a 12inch iron skillet. Could I make the same recipe and it will just be thinner??
Thanks
PS: new book has been pre-ordered. Super excited!
First, thank you! :) It would be a lot thinner in a 12-inch. Can you double it, even? Otherwise, should work fine.
I made this yesterday. Sliced the potatoes in the food processor- super easy! My potatoes didn’t get brown on the bottom though:( maybe I should have cooked it longer? Nevertheless, we ate all of it :)
Hello, Deb! I am beyond – BEYOND – excited for your new cookbook, & will be sending you my pre-order confirmation email ASAP. I cannot wait to surprise my husband with the Potatoes Anna; his top five foods are all varieties of potato dishes (mashed, roasted, etc). As for me, nothing has ever sounded as sweet to my ears as “potato chip casserole.” Crunch, crunch, crunch.
How exciting! I’ve been waiting to hear when the book is coming out! Will the US version include metric weights as well in the recipes, or am I better off waiting for the UK version? And also, can you please visit Sydney in Australia, there is a great independent bookshop in my area that would love to have you visit.
First, thank you. Second, I’d loooove to come to Sydney. Believe me, if it doesn’t happen, it won’t be because I didn’t ask almost every day between the last book and this one. :) Finally, both versions have metrics. The recipes in the U.S. and Canadian editions have measurements in cups, spoons, and weights. The UK edition will skip the American measurements, of course, and may suggest ingredients as they’re sold in the UK to avoid confusion.
My god, I made this over the weekend for a Memorial Day feast and it was PERFECT! Followed the recipe exactly, except I didn’t have any cornstarch. (So those of you worrying, do not fret.) The perfect cripsy-cheesy-starchy bite. You continue to be the best.
Just another person you’ve made very happy by announcing the release of your new book! Your first cookbook is one of the most heavily used in my kitchen and I can’t wait for the second. Thank you so much for writing and collecting such great recipes for us in your books and all the wonderful blog content.
Cookbook ordered and Potatoes Anna for dinner. Life is Good!
I pre-ordered and emailed aaknopf@randomhouse.com and the email was returned saying the address couldn’t be found. :(
Weird. Just send it to me (deb@smittenkitchen.com) and I’ll pass it along.
On your book tour, In New Hampshire we have a local book chain named the Toadstool. I would love to see you at the Peterborough location. They even have a little cafe in which some cooking could take place!
Cookbook preordered! can’t wait! I stuck to the US version to match the other and because I like the option of both measures depending on the recipe. Plus the date was sooner than the UK version ;) Congrats on the new book Deb, I can’t wait to have it in my hands and my kitchen!
Absolute deliciousness!!! I had to stop myself from nibbling away at the remainder of the dish after dinner – I just couldn’t get enough. Mine did not brown as nicely as your pics, but I’m sure that has to do with my non-stick skillet. I will be making this over and over!!!
I made this last night to serve with schnitzel and OMG, so delicious. I easily could’ve eaten the entire pan myself. And confession–I didn’t drain off any of the butter/oil.
Instead of the salad here, I made a salad of thinly sliced fennel and celery, with lemon juice and olive oil and the extra cheese mixture for the potatoes mixed in. It was sublime.
It was a great chance to try out my new mandonlin, and the flavors were so excellent. We’re probably going to polish the rest off for dinner tonight AND make them again some time this week.
I really want to make this. It sounds amazing. So it happens that my husband has this prejudice against aluminum foil. If I know what all it’s purposes are, I might be able to come up with a reasonable substitute aside from just not using it: prevents burning? Subs as tight fitting lid? Just a convenient squishing potatoes tool?
Thank you!
It helps keep moisture in for the first baking portion where the goal is to get the potatoes cooked through, not, say, dark brown edges and a raw center. You might try a lid instead, but ideally a tight-fitting one. Basically, foil is a much tighter fit than lids and also, most cast-iron skillets don’t come with lids.
Everything worked out really well! Thank you for replying. I decided to use my dutch oven’s lid which fit my cast iron skillet about as well as could be expected. Results were perfect (maybe a little sticking on the bottom, but I think that had more to do with me forgetting to wait to remove it). Will make and eat again for sure. Thank you!
does anyone think would this work with green apples added? a favorite, now-closed restaurant served a potato-and-apple terrine that was amazing. we tried once to make it at home, but it was much too fussy and fell apart upon serving. this galette seems fairly similar but much easier
also congrats Deb on the new book!
I made this yesterday after getting better following many long months of extreme pregnancy sickness. It’s the first thing I have cooked really in 3 months, and that’s been a hardship because I love to cook, but had no strength. So delicious! I ate the whole pan my self!! My body really needed it. Thanks!
Dear Deb, I made potatoes Anna three times this month, using your recipe. The first time I made it, I thought it good enough to serve to a dinner party. I especially liked the fact that you can make it ahead. I even bought a mandolin to make the dinner party version (the first time I just sliced with a knife). Anyhow. I made them and wrapped them in foil and put them in fridge and then stuck them in oven for my guests. Anyhow. They didn’t taste as good as the first time, and I was just looking at the picture of yours and realizing how flat and boring mine looked. I definitely did something wrong. Maybe I sliced the potatoes too thin? I used the thickest setting on the mandolin but they were still really thin. It seemed to come out better when I sliced them by hand. Anyway. I really like the way your potatoes Anna look and I would like to try again. I was hoping there was a conversation about this recipe after the post….
By flat and boring, did you mean maybe not browned enough? Honestly, most of the browning on top happens under the broiler for me. I can get it a little brown on top in the oven, but not that lovely even color. Thin should be fine — I go pretty thin with them, maybe 1/8″, but not, say, paper or floppy thin. I hope this helps, happy to troubleshoot more if not.
This was decadent and crowd pleasing. I busted out my new mandolin but the cut was thicker than yours so 8mm didn’t feel quite right. It also fell apart when I dumped it out of the pan. No one cared. I’ll be making this one again!!!
Hey Deb,
A little late to the party, but I have only just acquired your first cookbook. I’ve already made a couple of the recipes, and they really went down a treat.So thank you! I only have one minor quibble with the layout! Many of the recipes have the list of ingredients on one page, and then the instructions on the next. This causes a lot of flipping of pages back and forward as you read – it would be so much easier if the ingredients and instructions were on the same page. It’s probably kind of late to be asking, but will the next cookbook be laid out differently?
Cheers!
Deb, sorry if this isn’t the right place to ask this, but I preordered your book (so excited!) but never received the “bonus” recipe. I emailed your publisher on May 17th with the order confirmation. No big deal if I don’t get it, but would love any and all of your recipes, so was looking forward to it! Let me know if there’s something else I should do.
Totally fine to ask here. They’re going out tomorrow, so I’d say you should have it in the next few days. It’s totally my bad; it took me longer than I’d anticipated to personalize everything. I appreciate your patience. If you don’t have it by the end of the week, let me know. Happy to help.
When should we expect to receive the something extra if we preordered and sent the email? I did it like 4 seconds after this post. Sooooo looking forward to the release and hope Denver is on your book tour list!
You should expect something in the next 72 hours. And you can totally blame me. I’d underestimated the enthusiasm (but am so grateful for it) and it took me a bit longer to get through everything than I’d anticipated.
Denver is totally on the list… maybe even earlier this time than last. :)
Yes, yes, yes!!!! I am too excited!
Finally catching up on updates since my newborn and 2 y/o are actually napping at the same time! I’m not sure who’s more excited for the new book – myself or my husband. Getting on the pre-order bandwagon.
PS Cacio e Pepe is my very favorite thing to order “off menu” in Italy. It apparently makes the chef laugh, but they always make it for me.
PPS Kid + Popsicles= 15 min of silence Thank you.
Hi Deb,
Pre-ordered back in May and can’t wait for the book! The first one was a Christmas gift from my boyfriend and he almost had to fight for the last copy at the store :) Btw when will the extra recipes get mailed out? I sent an email with the confirmation, but have not received it yet.
You should have it by the end of the week. It’s totally my fault, took me longer to go through all the order than I’d anticipated. But thank you! I hope you enjoy it when it finally gets there.
I’m so glad to hear about the second book! Just reserved it online, cannot wait! Just a little sad that I wasn’t active online enough to catch the extra recipe, c’est la vie. I hope you’re able to make it to Austin, Texas again during your book tour, Congratulations again!
Thank you and Austin is a definite! Or almost definite.
I made this yesterday and although the flavors were wonderful, I definitely did not get the lovely texture I see in your photos. I did use a cast iron pan, but the sides and bottom didn’t get browned at ALL. In fact the whole thing was downright…. well… almost slimy? I was promised a “potato chip casserole”, what did I do wrong??
My intuition says I would need some combination of a) less time under the foil, b) higher cooking temp, c) thinner potato slices and/or more cornstarch, maybe?
Did the broiler help? For me, it’s what provides 2/3 of the browning and texture on top. Re, changes next time: you might do just fine with less time under the foil and a high cooking temp — at the end. It’s important that it gets largely cooked through before browning too much or it will just singe at the edges. Hope that helps for next time.
I made this–tasty but the bottom never browned! I think next time I will fry the cake on a burner before baking.
Third time lucky! I made this again last night, but this time used potato flour instead of potato starch (which I think, for me, leaves a slightly off/metalic aftertaste that competes with the delicacy of the overall flavour). Tadah! Just right. Alas, I ended up eating the leftovers later that evening. The trick, I think, is to have the right number of people helping to eat this lovely dish in the first place. Four perhaps, not three. Thank you!
Wow…congratulations on your beautiful new ‘baby’! Cannot wait to start cooking!
I must say I’m really excited for this book and only hope I can get it easily in South Africa. Otherwise, I’ll just ship it from the USA or the Uk. Can’t wait!
Can’t wait for this book to come out! I love your photography and really enjoyed the first book. :)
Woke this morning and your new cook book was on my Kindled. ItĄ¯s a great day. Congratulations Deb. See you in Toronto
I made these tonight for the first time and it was a huge hit! The crispy edges, the peppery filling between the layers – perfection. I might add a touch more cheese next time, but otherwise this was amazing and I can’t wait to have the leftovers tomorrow.
Look forward to seeing you in LA in a few weeks! Now, this may seem like an insane question, but…let’s say you love potatoes and just completely hate cheese. Any way to adapt the recipe? Just leave the cheese out or replace it with additional fat and/or protein?
I made this dish yesterday with the intention of reheating it tomorrow, to be eaten at holiday meal. I used my 10″ cast iron pan and had to add another potato to accommodate the size of the pan and a great deal of left over cheese mixture. the cheese I used was pre-grated at a local market.
When it came time to invert the gallette onto a plate I knew there was no way it was going to hold together. the whole thing started to slide and come apart when I drained the excess butter.
Rather than make an absolute mess of things, I did my best to slide the potatoes into a 10″ ceramic tart pan. I will reheat it in that pan tomorrow and attempt to serve in wedges — or spoonfuls if the wedges don’t hold together.
We made it last night following the directions carefully. We made one change, of using a ceramic tart dish, as we don’t have a cast iron one. The potatoes held and slid of and inverted beautifully, but… they were undercooked! I left them to reheat/reroast today. Why do you think this happened Deb? We usually up the temperatures on our oven by about 10 degrees as our seems to be cooler than yours, but it was not enough. Is it the ceramic issue? And how long do you recommend we roast again – another 20 minutes? Thank you!!!
This was one of the first recipes my husband requested from your cookbook, and he was not dissappointed by the results. Such a good dinner with a big salad on the side. One thing though, the two of us ate the whole thing for dinner! We donĄ¯t usually eat large portions for dinner, so I didnĄ¯t find that this makes 4 large portions, unless it is more of a side dish. Still worth the work though. :)
This potato recipe is pure genius in its simplicity! I may not be a very versatile cook but this was a life-changing discovery – all thanks to you ^_^ Potatoes Anna is our current brunch-lunch-snack-dinner favourite. In fact, we favour it so much that we would like to make for a small crowd. Do you think it would come out just as good made in a 12-incher?
UPDATE (in case someone wonders about it in the near future):
This recipe cooked in a 12-inch not-so-deep skillet came out just as well. It took however a total of 1hr and 40mins and 4 – 4.5 lbs of yellow potatoes. Oh, and a very happy band of 10+ ppl.
Hello–looking to make this for Easter next weekend but trying to figure out best way to do this while heating a baked ham at 325 degrees for 1- 1.5 hours. Anyone have good luck cooking a day ahead and finishing under the broiler? Don’t want to lose the crispy texture!
Still havenĄ¯t tried flipping this onto a plate (I donĄ¯t really have a good size plate tbh) so I just serve it in my cast iron skillet. This is my favorite way to elevate the humble potato and itĄ¯s one of my go to side dishes for when IĄ¯m feeling myself. Thanks Deb!
I made this tonight because it fit what I had in the house for dinner (potatoes + salad + eggs…) It was great, and I followed the recipe as written. I did notice mine looked thinner than your pictures when done? Maybe I compressed it too much with the foil? And I used a bit too much butter, I think. But that just means I get to try again after we finish this pan! Thanks for the great simple recipe!
This dish was okay, but I would probably not make it again. As others have noted, the potatoes don’t get very brown so a broiler would have to step in to help with coloring. If you’d like to not only get browning on the topmost side but also the bottom, you’d have to invert the galette on a separate plate, slide it back in the skillet, and run that side under the broiler…just too fussy for a dish that had weak flavor (despite tasting for seasoning and using non-Microplaned cheese).
Ah well, I do think the flavor profile was pretty neat on potatoes and will maybe try again with a simple toss of roasted Yukons, pecorino and pepper.
Can you make potatoes Anna vegan? Just omit the cheese and use olive oil instead of butter? IĄ¯m going to a Hanukkah potluck and thought this would be lovely to bring!
I’d think so, flavor will be different, but you’d get to eat layered baked potatoes.
Hi Deb,
I am in charge of a potato dish for a dinner party tomorrow night. One guest cannot eat dairy. I was thinking about pommes anna, and remembered that my family enjoyed this recipe of yours. Obviously, I need to make it without the cheese, but do you think I could use a combination of olive oil and duck fat in place of the butter? If so, do you have any idea what my ratio should be?
Thanks!
PS Thank you for all of the amazing dinners. I bet we enjoy your recipes at least twice a week. Last night it was stuck-pot rice and lentils. Yum!
A combination of duck fat and olive oil sounds delicious but I haven’t cooked with duck fat enough to know if there is an ideal ratio of the two. Perhaps half-half?
I love this dish! Do you think there would be any difference if you just tossed the potatoes in the cheese mixture and then layered them, instead of potatoes then the butter/cheese mixture? Why layer them separately, instead of tossing them altogether.
Neatness and ensuring each layer is well-seasoned but yes, I suppose you could just toss and bake.
After reading some of the comments about lack of browning, I was pleasantly surprised when mine was decently golden after the regular cooking time. After a pass under the broiler, it had a nice crunchy top lid and soft, creamy potatoes underneath. I used a glass pie plate and didn’t peel my potatoes. I probably had closer to 1.5 lbs of potatoes, kept the seasoning the same, and thought it was perfect. I’ll definitely repeat.
How about some reviews of the dish? How can it be only 1tsp butter between layers? How can you distribute that over 9Ąą? Does it work?
It works! I measured the teaspoons & used a silicone brush to spread it. The brush is a must! Brushed the foil also to ensure full coverage.
Fantastic!! I made the Potatoes Anna as an accompaniment to grilled steak pinwheels. I used my 12″ cast iron pan and scaled way up. 5 lbs of potatoes and double the cheese mixture. I lost count of how many layers I put in the pan, when I ran out of room I used a 9″ non-stick cake pan (which ultimately turned into our appetizer :)) I cooked both much longer than the stated time, I just kept looking for browning. I did put the cast iron pan on a baking stone hoping to help the bottom to brown. Step under the broiler is key, I kept them under till they were ultra crispy, poured off the oil, and then rested them. My company dug into the potatoes that were in the cake pan and polished them off before I ever got the steak on the grill. I then served them straight from the pan, served 6 and then were fighting over the crispy bits at the bottom! Huge hit, thank you for making this specific details. In sure this will be requested again and again. See zucchini bread {2019) for next review…
I love this recipe and would like to serve it on Christmas Eve, which will require making it ahead of time to rewarm. Should I invert the pan and rewarm it on a cookie sheet or can it stay in the pan and be reheat as a whole before inverting?
I’ve made a the day ahead and kept it in the skillet until it was done re-warming!
I’ve been making this as a Thanksgiving side for the last four years. It’s excellent. I typically dial up the pecorino even more. Sometimes I nearly double it.
My tip for an easy release from the pan: use a pastry brush to spread the butter to ensure it’s a super even layer. (And it also ensures all the layers soak it in equally.)
Deb, Love this recipe but I am confused, at the end, before serving do you flip it once or twice? Which side is up at the end of the day?
How do you use a 2-part pommes Anna pan for this one? Do you cook with both sides of the pan in the oven? I happen to have one sitting lonely in the cabinet and would love to bring it out for a surprise weekday feast. When I was a child it was taken out about once a year with great ceremony for Christmas dinner, but the pan has slouched, fancy and forgotten, for too long now.
I’m thinking of making this weekend and reading through the comments, I’m wondering if some folks are missing the double-flip in the directions. I did, until my fifth read-through. I finally caught the “invert, then flip again” on the fourth read, but actually thought it was a mistake! I had thought, based on your photos, that the top of the gallette when served, is the side that had been baked in the bottom of the pan. But then I realized from the notes about browning under the broiler that the top when served is the top when baked. Duh. Maybe it was only me who was completely under the wrong impression on this for the first 4 times I looked at this recipe?!
Can you comment with freezer instructions? Am I able to bake in tinfoil for easy freezing? Thanks!
Can’t I just use a spring form pan for this? It’s non-stick, I can wrap foil around the bottom in case butter/oil leaks out. And I won’t have to flip it. Just slide it off. Thoughts?
I’ve made this 4 times. Mine never come out as browned and photo ready as yours, but your number of servings is way off. In my house, this recipe barely serves two as a side dish. My son’s explanation is: our stomachs grow as needed for potatoes.
I made this as directed except I used Parmesan instead of Pecorino Romano. This came together easily and was delicious. I did have a little bit sticking to the foil and to my poorly seasoned cast iron, but I was able to get the pieces off and put them back on the galette. I would definitely make it again. We ate it with the salad, an egg would be good too, but ham or a sausage would be even better. I also might add more potatoes, as mine was thin despite using slightly over 2.5 pounds in the 9″ skillet.
So so good! A little futsy but not too crazy. I used a nonstick 9″ cake pan and it released from the pan very well but wasn’t browned on the bottom. Next time I’ll move the oven rack lower for the initial bake. Flavor was excellent though. My 10 year old daughter proclaimed this was her favorite way to eat potatoes, even better than french fries, high praise!
I finally made this after drooling over the cover photo on the SK Every Day cookbook for ages. What a beautiful little recipe! I was searching for something to serve alongside coq au vin at a small dinner party, and this ended up stealing the spotlight. I made it exactly as written in my 9″ lodge cast iron. I prepared it earlier in the day and let it chill in the cold garage, covered in foil, until we were close to eating. After warming it back up in the oven, I flipped it out onto a serving tray and–what do you know–it looked JUST like the picture, crispy golden edges and all! I proceeded to do a little happy-dance alone in the kitchen. Triumphant, indeed!! I think the key was a well-seasoned cast iron and the extra resting time to let it release from the pan. I wouldn’t normally try a recipe for the first time for dinner guests, but this gamble absolutely paid off. Thank you, Deb, for making me look like a pro.
If I make this in advance, should I keep it in the pan to reheat, or on a plate? Thanks!
I’d probably reheat it in the pan for better crisp.
Been wanting to make this since I first got the cookbook! Made it for Easter dinner instead of the usual scalloped potatoes. It was fabulous. I may never make scalloped potatoes again. Quick to prep. I did not even peel the potatoes as the skin was so thin and it wasnĄ¯t noticeable as the potatoes were so thinly sliced. Will be making this one again!
Can I leave the skin on the potatoes?
Made this and I thought it was great. I weighed the cheese before I grated it which was easier than trying to weigh after microplaning.
Hoping to make ahead for Thanksgiving. Do you just leave it in the pan after making ahead and then reheat?
Been looking at that picture on the cover of the cookbook for a while, glad I finally got around to making it.