This got its name because every time I make it, my family says, “Oh, I love those potatoes!” It’s kind of a cross between Lyonnaise potatoes (sliced potatoes and onions pan-fried in butter) and hash browns; the potatoes develop a golden-brown crunch that is just super good. You can make this with waxy potatoes, if you want, but russets brown much better.

6 tablespoons canola oil

3 (12-ounce) russet potatoes, cut into 1⁄8-inch slices (6 cups)

Salt and freshly ground
white pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced lengthwise
(4 cups)

2 teaspoons snipped chives, for garnish (optional)

Sour cream, for garnish (optional)

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat and start to arrange a layer of overlapping potato slices over the bottom of the pan in concentric circles. Season the potatoes with 1⁄8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the oil over the top, then add a second layer of potatoes, season the same way, and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat this process until you have 4 layers of potatoes.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the potatoes, gently shaking the pan to keep them from sticking, until the bottom layer of potatoes begins to caramelize and turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, turn the potatoes over and cook, gently shaking the pan, until that bottom layer turns golden, about another 5 minutes. Continue to cook and flip the potatoes until all of the potatoes are golden brown, about another 15 minutes.
3. Add the butter to the pan in one piece and let it melt. Arrange half the onions over the potatoes. Season with 1⁄8 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Flip the potatoes on top of the onions so the onions are cooking on the bottom of the pan. Cook the onions for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the remaining onions to the pan and season in the same way. Continue to cook and flip the potatoes and onions until the onions begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes longer. Garnish with chives and sour cream, if desired, and serve.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Excerpted from Essential Emeril: Favorite Recipes and Hard-Won Wisdom From My Life in the Kitchen by Emeril Lagasse. Copyright © 2015 Emeril Lagasse dba MSLO Acquisition sub, LLC. Reprinted with permission from Oxmoor House, an imprint of Time Inc. Books. All rights reserved.