What do potatoes, garlic, bananas, and cranberries have in common?

Answer: Not much, unless you consider they were all in our supper last evening!

We had Corned Beef and Cabbage as the entrée, store bought rye bread, Potato Galette, and Banana Cranberry Sponge Cake. It is no surprise that we needed to be rolled the short distance from the dining table to the living room! Once we regained the ability to waddle walk, it was time to put up St. Patty’s decorations. We then returned to our food induced stupor.

Potato Galette

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

5 medium potatoes, washed, 1/8” slices, cover with ice water

4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced, set aside

salt, fresh ground black pepper, Parmesan cheese: to taste

In a cast iron skillet or oven safe sauté pan, warm:

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon milk

Pour butter mixture in a small bowl.

Use a pastry brush to spread remaining liquid around the sides and bottom of skillet/pan. Gently drain ice water from potatoes. You will now begin making even layers in the following order:

potatoes

butter mixture (apply with pastry brush)

garlic

salt & pepper

Parmesan cheese

Carefully cover skillet/pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. At that time, remove the foil and continue baking 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender and with crispy edges on top. Traditionally, a galette may be flipped over in the pan at the point in the cooking process where the foil is removed. This is to ensure the bottom is crispy just like the top. The advantage with cast iron is the galette is crispy all around!

Banana Cranberry Sponge Cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9” x 12” cake pan.

Whisk together the following and set aside:

3 eggs

2 large bananas, mashed

2 Tablespoons milled flax seed

7 Tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon  cinnamon

1 pinch ground all spice

1 tad poppy seed

1 tad ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon dry orange zest

1/2 cup dry cranberries

1 tad vanilla butternut Lorann oil

In a stand mixer, cream:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 oz. butter flavored Crisco

Add egg/spice/etc. mixture to the creamed mixture and combine.

On low speed, add:

2 cups all purpose flour

Mix until flour is just combined. Pour into prepared cake pan.

Bake for 30 minutes then begin checking for doneness every few minutes thereafter. When it passes the toothpick test, remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes. Turn out the cake on a rack, then place back in cake pan, bottom side up. Once completely cooled, it can be frosted with cream cheese icing if desired.

We so desired. I can also attest to the fact this cake is good with a cup of coffee the next morning!