Pommes Anna(2)

A classic French potato dish made by layering thinly sliced potatoes with clarified butter, salt and pepper, then baking them under pressure until they form a compact cake with a deeply browned, crisp exterior and tender, buttery layers inside. A heavy cast-iron skillet is an excellent choice because even heat is essential to developing the crust.

Pommes Anna

Servings: About 6–8
Prep Time: About 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40–45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 3 pounds boiling potatoes
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Position one oven rack at the lowest level and a second rack immediately above it. Place a pizza pan or roasting pan on the lower rack to catch any butter that may drip during baking.
2. Clarify the butter: melt the butter gently, skim away the foam from the surface, then carefully spoon or pour the clear butter away from the milky solids at the bottom. Set the clarified butter aside.
3. Peel the potatoes and trim them into cylinders approximately 1¼ inches in diameter so the slices will be relatively uniform.
4. Cut the potatoes into even ⅛-inch-thick rounds. You should have about 8 cups.
5. Dry the potato slices very thoroughly with paper towels. Do not rinse the potatoes after peeling or slicing; retaining their surface starch helps the layers adhere to one another.
6. Pour approximately ¼ inch clarified butter into a heavy, flameproof baking dish or cast-iron skillet. Set over moderate heat.
7. When the butter is hot, place one potato slice in the center of the pan. Arrange an overlapping circle of potato slices around it.
8. Working in the opposite direction, arrange another overlapping circle around the first. Continue until the bottom of the pan is completely covered. Spoon a little clarified butter over the potatoes.
9. Reverse direction again and arrange another overlapping layer around the circumference of the pan, filling in the center with additional potato slices.
10. Baste with additional clarified butter and season lightly with salt and pepper.
11. Continue layering the potatoes, alternating the direction of the overlapping slices. Baste each layer with butter and season periodically with salt and pepper.
12. Occasionally shake the pan gently by its handle to make sure the potatoes are not sticking.
13. Continue until the pan is completely filled, allowing the potatoes to form a ¼- to ½-inch dome in the center. They will settle as they cook. There should be enough butter that it can be seen bubbling around the sides.
14. Butter the bottom of a heavy saucepan approximately 7 inches in diameter—or whatever size fits inside your potato pan—and press it down firmly on the potatoes to compact the layers.
15. Butter the underside of a close-fitting lid and cover the potato pan.
16. Place the covered pan on the upper oven rack and bake for 20 minutes.
17. Remove the cover and once again press the potatoes firmly with the buttered bottom of the saucepan.
18. Return the potatoes to the oven uncovered and bake for another 20–25 minutes.
19. Press the potatoes down once more toward the end of baking. They are done when the exterior is deeply browned and crusty and the potatoes are tender.
20. Carefully pour off any excess butter.
21. Run a thin knife or spatula around the edge if necessary. Place a serving platter over the skillet and carefully invert the Pommes Anna onto the platter so the beautifully browned bottom becomes the top.
22. Cut into wedges and serve hot.

Tip: Three details are particularly important: use clarified butter, dry the potatoes thoroughly without rinsing away their starch, and complete the cooking once you begin. Excess moisture increases the chance that the potato cake will stick and makes it more difficult to achieve the characteristic crisp crust.

Source: Unknown