Potato and Apple Pave

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Pour the cream into two large bowls and season with salt and pepper. Cut a thin slice off the sides of a potato so it will rest flat on the mandoline. Lay a Japanese mandoline or other vegetable slicer over one of the bowls of cream and slice the potato lengthwise into very thin (about 1/16 inch) slices, letting them drop into the cream. (If the bowl is too large to lay the mandolin flat, slice the potatoes, adding the slices to the bowl as you go.) Stop occasionally to coat the potatoes in the bowl in the cream to prevent them from oxidizing. Repeat with the remaining potatoes. Do the same with the apples, taking care to remove a small portion of the skin so that the apple doesn’t skip off of the slicer.

2. Brush a 10x6.5x3-inch-high pan with softened butter or cooking spray. A pan with sides this high gives the pave its height. Line with parchment paper, leaving a large overhang on the two longest sides. The extra parchment will cover the potatoes as they cook and will help to remove the pave from the pan after cooking and cooling. Spray the parchment with nonstick spray and season with salt and pepper.

   Lay the potatoes evenly in the direction that works best to fill the pan. Repeat with a layer of apples. Add another layer of potatoes and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Continue building the pave, seasoning after each three layers (be careful not to overseason).Herbs can be added to the same layers that you season with salt and pepper. Fold over the sides of the parchment to cover the potatoes. Cover tightly with a piece of aluminum foil (to allow the potatoes to steam as they bake).

3. Bake the potatoes for 1 hour and 50 minutes, or until completely tender when pierced with a paring knife. Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Put a weight on top of the potatoes, wrap well, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

4. To serve, run a knife around the two longer sides of the pave to release it from the pan, and use the parchment that covered the top to lift the pave from the pan onto a cutting surface. Trim all the sides of the pave. Cut into equal pieces and allow to temper at room temperature for 10 minutes.

5. To serve, add shredded cheddar cheese to the top of each piece of pave and broil at 450 degrees until cheese is melted and the pave is warm. Optionally, the pave can be browned in a pan with oil, and served with the browned side up.