Pommes Anna
It’s perfectly crispy on the outside and tender inside.
Equipment
- 1 non-stick cake pan 10-inch
- 1 glass pie pan 9-inch
- 1 cutting board
- 1 Mandoline Substitute a sharp chef's knife
- 1 mixing bowl Large
- 1 mixing bowl Small
- 1 pastry brush
- aluminum foil Large enough to cover the top
Ingredients
- 2 pound bag Yukon gold potatoes Use 8 medium or 4 large potatoes
- 4 tbsps butter Unsalted
- 1 1/4 tsps black truffle salt Divided; substitute kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper Optional, divided, equals six 1/8- teaspoons
Garnish
- 1 sprig Fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.Heat the oven and prep the potatoes. Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven. Peel and cut the potatoes crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick rounds using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Divide the potato slices into 5 equal piles.Grease the pan and foil. Melt the unsalted butter in the microwave. Brush the bottom and sides of an oven-safe 10-inch nonstick cake pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the black truffle salt (or kosher salt). Brush a thin layer of butter onto a sheet of aluminum foil big enough to cover the pan.Build the first layer. Starting in the center and overlapping the slices by about half, arrange one pile of the slices in a spiral pattern, making sure the bottom is completely and evenly covered. Use smaller slices in the center and larger slices on the edges. Brush with 1/2 tablespoon of the melted butter and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the black truffle salt (or kosher salt) and 1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.Build the second layer. This time, work your way from the outside in to the center (again using the larger slices on the edges), and arrange the second pile of potato slices to build the second layer. Brush with 1/2 tablespoon of the butter and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the black truffle salt (or kosher salt) and another 1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.Build the last two layers. Repeat the process of arranging the third layer, working from the inside out, then butter and season. Build the fourth and final layer of potatoes from the outside in. Brush all the remaining butter onto the top layer and season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of black truffle salt (or kosher salt) and fresh ground black pepper.There you have it, my Pommes Anna.1) Press and bake for 25 minutes. Place the foil butter-side down onto the potatoes. Weigh down the foil by placing a 9-inch glass pie plate on top of it. Bake for 25 minutes.2) Uncover and finish baking. Bake uncovered until the potatoes are "knife tender" and the bottom is golden brown, about 20 minutes more.3) Broil the top. Turn the oven to broil on high. Broil until the top is golden brown, about 5 minutes. 4) Unmold and serve. Gently shake the pan to see if the potato cake slides around easily. If it doesn’t come out easily, run a thin knife around the edges and slide the spatula underneath the potato cake to loosen it. Slide the Pommes Anna out of the pan carefully, transferring the whole thing to a serving plate. Top with fresh thyme leaves. Cut the potato cake into wedges and serve. Other schools of thought involve placing a pan over the top and flipping it over. This would make the bottom of the Pommes Anna the top.
Notes
1) You want to make sure that the glass pie plate is slightly smaller than the cake pan (or skillet) you're using, which will ensure that when you press down onto it, the potatoes make contact with the bottom of the cake pan. This will allow them to brown nicely because the bottom will end up being the top once inverted.
2) Some recipes call for inverting the Pommes Anna. By this I mean to place a large plate on top of the cake pan (careful, it's hot!) and flip it over onto the plate, then remove the pan. This way, the bottom ends up being the top. Using a non-stick cake pan, loosen the edges and bottom; it can be easily slid right out of the pan and onto a plate.
3) When you slice into the potatoes using a non-stick cake pan, be sure to use a butter knife so as not to scratch the pan.
4) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.