Pommes Anna

Pommes Anna is a classic French dish of sliced, layered potatoes cooked in a very large amount of melted butter. Very simple yet delicious. This dish requires only two ingredients: potatoes and butter.

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 for which of three possibilities the dish was named - the actress Anna Damiens, known as Anna Judic, Anna Deslions or Anna Untel.)"

I made this last weekend as a side dish to go with Gehaktballen (Dutch meatballs). I will post the gehaktballen recipe soon. Watch this space!

Pommes Anna Recipe
(Adapted from The Food of France)

Ingredients

850 g waxy potatoes
125 g clarified butter, melted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 210C (415F). Grease a deep 20 cm round cake tin or ovenproof dish with melted butter.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into very thin slices with a mandolin or a sharp knife. Lay the potato slices on paper towels and pat dry. Starting from the centre of the dish, overlap one-fifth of the potato slices over the base. Drizzle one-fifth of the butter over the top. Season well.
3. Repeat the layers four more times, drizzling the last bit of butter over the top of the potatoes. Cut a circle of greaseproof paper to fit over the top of the potato. Bake for about 1 hour, or until cooked and golden and a knife blades slices easily into the centre. Remove from the oven and leave for 5 minutes, then pour off any excess butter. Run a knife around the edge to loosen, then turn out onto a serving plate.