Mini Pommes Anna

Pommes Anna is a classic French dating back to 19th century, it only calls for four ingredients; thinly sliced potatoes, melted butter, salt and pepper! A very simple recipe, yet delicious!

The potatoes are layered originally into a pan, then baked in the oven or fried on the stove. The result is a circular potato cake that may be cut into slices. The tender and crispy golden layers of potatoes make a perfect side dish.

Well, according to Wikipedia, “The dish is generally credited with having been created during the time of Napoleon III by the chef Adolphe Dugléré, a pupil of Carême, when Dugléré was head chef at the Café Anglais, the leading Paris restaurant of the 19th century, where he reputedly named the dish for one of the grandes cocottes of the period. There is disagreement about which beauty the dish was named after: the actress Dame Judic (real name: Anna Damiens), or Anna DesLions".

This simple recipe is all in the preparation and presentation, and the use of thinly sliced potatoes, that's the key to success. This is why I recommend a mandolin, but a veggie peeler will do the trick. In general, the dish is cooked in a copper or cast iron omelet pan, but when I saw the recipe at Bakers Royal, I thought it was a great idea to minify them. Naomi used her muffin tins to bake them, here I used my ramekins.

Ingredients: (makes 12 Mini/Individual Pommes Anna)
2 lb. bag of petite Yukon gold potato
5 tbsp of butter, melted
1 tbsp of salt
11 tsp of black pepper

Heat oven to 325ºF. Lightly butter walls of muffin wells.

Wash and peel potatoes. Slice potatoes as thin as you can with a knife or use vegetable peeler to get paper thin slices.

Placed sliced potatoes in a bowl and toss with melted butter. Start in the center and form the first layer by overlapping each slice in a circular pattern. Lightly sprinkle layer with salt and pepper. Arrange second layer working in the opposite direction of the first. Lightly sprinkle layer with salt and pepper. Continue layering potatoes in opposite directions, sprinkling with salt and pepper along the way until pan wells are filled to the top.

Cover top of pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about another 15 minutes until edges start to turn golden brown. To remove, cover the top of pan with foil and turn it upside down onto the foil. Tilt the pan with one corner and carefully lift a small opening of foil in the opposite corner to drain any excess butter. Transfer released Mini Pommes Anna to platter and serve.

Pommes Anna

Ingrédients: (pour 12 Mini Pommes Anna)
2 lb. bag of petite Yukon gold potato
5 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
1 ½ tablespoon of kosher salt
2 teaspoon of black pepper

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter walls of muffin wells.
Wash and peel potatoes. Slice potatoes as thin as you can with a knife or use vegetable peeler to get paper thin slices. Placed sliced potatoes in a bowl and toss with melted butter. Start in the center and form the first layer by overlapping each slice in a circular pattern. Lightly sprinkle layer with salt and pepper. Arrange second layer working in the opposite direction of the first. Lightly sprinkle layer with salt and pepper. Continue layering potatoes in opposite directions, sprinkling with salt and pepper along the way until pan wells are filled to the top.
Cover top of pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about another 15 minutes until edges start to turn golden brown. To remove, cover the top of pan with foil and turn it upside down onto the foil. Tilt the pan with one corner and carefully lift a small opening of foil in the opposite corner to drain any excess butter. Transfer released Mini Pommes Anna to platter and serve.