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Pommes Anna - Buttery Layered PotatoesPommes Anna 
Pommes Anna reportedly was created in France during the reign of Napoleon III, and named after a popular lady of the court. This is a very tasty dish, and not terribly difficult to prepare, depending on your technique. It is most definitely one of my favorites. This dish is simply a cake or pie of thinly sliced potatoes fried in butter to a golden brown. It's a great starchy compliment to hearty main courses such as beef or lamb. I pair it with steak Diane, fresh steamed green beans, a small green salad and a glass of good cabernet; wow!
Preparation techniques for pommes Anna vary a little. Some recipes call for browning the potato cake in a skillet on the stove and finishing it in the oven. I prefer completing the whole dish in a skillet on the stove. Also, the traditional method finishes the dish off with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. While that treatment is tasty, I prefer to add a little color to it with chopped fresh parsley or sliced fresh green onions. Although this recipe serves six, I normally cut it down to serve two. Difficulty: Medium Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS 1. Place the peeled potatoes in a bowl of cold water to keep them from discoloring. Slice the potatoes as thinly as possible with a sharp knife or box grater; I prefer to use a sharp mandoline for speed and to keep the slices uniform. 2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Its best to have some extra butter handy as this recipe depends on butter for taste and browning. 3. Use a medium nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet. Add about a tablespoon of the butter to the skillet. Pat the potato slices dry on a kitchen towel, and arrange 1 layer of overlapping slices over the bottom of the pan in concentric circles. Pour the clear liquid of the butter over the sliced potatoes, leaving the milky solids on the bottom of the saucepan. Repeat 2 more times, making 3 layers. Drizzle each layer with a bit of the butter and season the layers, alternating salt, pepper, and then nutmeg. Heat the skillet to medium or medium-low, and then cook on low until potatoes are golden on the bottom and crisp around the outside, about 25 to 30 minutes. Shake the pan back and forth several times while cooking to keep from sticking. 4. Pour off butter into a small bowl and reserve. Place a dinner plate or platter which is slightly larger than the diameter of the skillet, upside down over the pommes Anna. Holding the lid firmly in place with a potholder, gently flip over. Add the reserved butter to the skillet and slide the potatoes back in. Return the skillet to the stove and cook on low heat for another 25 to 30 minutes. Shake the pan back and forth several times while cooking to keep the potatoes from sticking. The bottom should be browned and crisp and the potatoes cooked through. Pour off any fat remaining in the pan and slide the pommes Anna onto a serving dish. Slice into wedges and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley to serve. Options are to sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese or sliced fresh small green onions. Enjoy Modoc Country Living’s Country Kitchen! Enjoy your pommes Anna with a steak and a glass of cabernet!
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