Crispy Potato Stacks with Fresh Sage

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place butter in a metal 9-by-13-inch baking pan and set in the oven while it preheats until the butter has melted.

Meanwhile, trim both ends from potatoes (discard or save for another use); very thinly slice the potatoes with a mandoline (1/16-inch or thinner).

Coat the pan with the butter, then pour the excess into a large bowl. Add chopped sage, salt and pepper and mix well. Add the potato slices and mix with your hands until evenly coated.

Place 12 potato slices in the prepared baking dish, about 1 inch apart. Place one whole sage leaf on each slice. Then, using slices that are as close to the same size as possible, gather the remaining potatoes into 12 stacks, about 2 inches tall, and place a stack on each sage-topped potato slice.

Bake the stacks until crispy and the potatoes are very tender, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. To serve, run a metal spatula under each stack and gently flip over so the sage leaf is visible.