Description
Pommes Anna is a classic French dish of thinly sliced potatoes tossed with butter and layered into a cake that manages to have both a golden-brown, crisp crust and meltingly tender, buttery potatoes inside. With just a few ingredients, this side dish is much more than the sum of its parts.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 pounds russet potatoes
- Olive oil, as needed
- 1/2 cup clarified butter or ghee
- 6 sprigs thyme
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1–1/2 tablespoons potato starch or potato flour
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Crème fraîche, finely chopped fresh chives, and flaky sea salt, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Prepare a medium mixing bowl by filling with cold water. Wash and peel the potatoes and place in the water to hold. Working with one potato at a time, remove from the water and pat dry with paper towels. Thinly slice using a mandoline or knife; the slices should be no thicker than 1/8 inch. After you finish with one potato, place the slices in the water and repeat with the remaining potatoes.
- In a small saucepan, melt the clarified butter or ghee over medium heat. Add the thyme sprigs and grate the garlic cloves into the butter using a microplane (or finely mince with a knife and add). Heat for about 1 to 2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and the flavor has infused into the butter. Remove the thyme sprigs and add the potato starch, salt, and pepper, stirring to combine. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- After all the potatoes are sliced, strain the potatoes from the water and rinse again with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels, removing as much water as possible.
- Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat; allow to preheat for about 3 minutes. Once heated (it won’t be ripping hot but that’s okay), add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil. This will help prevent the butter in contact with the pan from burning.
- Toss the dried potato slices with the infused butter and mix to thoroughly coat. With the heat still on under the skillet, carefully place a potato slice in the center of the skillet and proceed to make circles of overlapping potato slices from the center to the edge of the pan. Continue building up the layers by repeating with the remaining potatoes until all are used. Gently shake the pan several times to ensure the potatoes on the bottom are not sticking. Press down lightly as you build the layers to ensure they are adhering to each other. Once the potato cake is built up, continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, gently shaking the pan occasionally, to allow the crust to begin to form. Top with a greased piece of foil and place a heavy skillet of the same size on top, weighing the skillet down with beans, rice, or pie weights if needed. The skillet needs to fully cover the surface area of the skillet underneath to ensure enough pressure is applied.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes with the foil cover. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the sides are turning golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on the stovetop. Cook on medium-high for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, gently shaking the pan occasionally to dislodge the potatoes from the bottom of the skillet. Remove from the heat and, (very) carefully, tilt the pan over a small bowl to remove as much of the melted butter as possible. Run a knife around the sides and carefully invert the skillet over a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve with crème fraîche, chives, and flaky sea salt, if desired.
- Category: Sides, Vegetable Sides, Side Dishes, Vegetarian