Recipe Makeover: "Magic" Potatoes aka Potatoes Anna

Next Gen Magic Potatoes on "Celebrate" Dinnerware (photo by LivligaHome)

When I got married my mom handed me a red leather notebook full of her recipes and advice. It was called the "Magic Cookbook". She named it that because she never considered herself a great cook; instead, she figured if she could cook something it "must be magic". Hence the "Magic" of the Magic Cookbook. I have cherished it all my life. She passed away when she was only 57, before my third child was born. Her cookbook is one of the ways I have stayed close to her and her memory.

My children grew up loving the recipes from this book. One of their favorites was "Magic Potatoes". They were Mom's version of Potatoes Anna--thinly sliced potatoes smothered in butter and salt and baked until crisp. Over the years, as my life and cooking have become healthier and healthier, I have fixed this recipe less and less. Recently I decided it was time for a next gen recipe makeover.

The goal was to take out the butter and replace it with olive oil, lessen the salt while keeping the crispy, creamy potatoes. Before we used an entire stick of butter or 8 tablespoons in the recipe. The butter alone added up to 814 calories! Regardless, the taste had to meet the standard of special memories. Here is what I came up with:

Next Gen Magic Potatoes 

Ingredients~
3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence, divided
Cooking spray, olive oil flavored

Directions~
1. Wash potatoes and thinly slice them in rounds, skin on.
2. Spray a casserole dish or, preferably, a cast iron skillet with cooking spray. Place half the potatoes in a thin layer on the bottom of the pan. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil over them and spray with thin coat of olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/2 salt and 1/2 herbes de Provence evenly over top of potatoes. Repeat the process with the second half of the potatoes.
3. Place the potatoes in the oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes or until the potaotes are crisped on the edges and browned on top.

Serves 4; Serving size 1/4 of the potatoes. Calories: 105 per serving.