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Pommes Anna is a classic French dish that is delicious, beautiful, and sophisticated. Replace your ho-hum, standard mashed potatoes this Thanksgiving, and impress your loved ones with this buttery, golden topped side dish.
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This side dish is all about the simplicity of ingredients to produce a sophisticated dish. It consists of thinly sliced potatoes, layered in a circular pattern and slathered with butter, garlic, and thyme. It’s then baked until golden on the outside and tender on the inside.
WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE POMMES ANNA?
- Potatoes – use Yukon Gold or russet potatoes
- Butter – get a good quality butter because this is where the flavor begins
- Fresh thyme and garlic – minced very finely to add tons of flavor
- Salt and pepper
- Parmesan cheese – grated fresh, again for another layer of flavor
- Parsley – for garnish, if you want to gild the lily
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Because the potatoes are ‘finished’ in the oven, make sure that your skillet is oven-safe. Nothing ruins a recipe like melted pieces in the final dish.
- Use a mandolin or a food process fitted with the slicing blade to slice the potatoes evenly. Don’t rinse or soak the potato slices because we want the starch to help hold the potatoes together once they’re in the skillet.
- Pressing down on the potatoes once they’re in the pan is crucial. Any air pockets or looseness in the potatoes and they won’t come out in a pretty dome shape.
- Pommes Anna can be made the night before and baked. Cool completely, cover the skillet with foil and refrigerate. When ready to serve, reheat in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes.
Looking for a few more ‘different’ Thanksgiving sides? Here are a few suggestions:
- Curried Couscous With Jeweled Fruit
- Pumpkin Ravioli In Sage Brown Butter Sauce
- Marmalade Rum Glazed Carrots
- Fresh Cranberry Salsa
- Savory Carrot Flan
POMMES ANNA
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: Serves 8
Description
A classic French side dish, these Pommes Anna are a beautiful and buttery swap for those tired mashed potatoes on your holiday table.
Ingredients
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 6 medium potatoes), peeled and thinly sliced
6 tablespoons butter
1 ½ teaspoons finely minced fresh thyme
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup roughly chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Use 1 tablespoon of butter to grease a 10-inch nonstick, oven-safe skillet. Set aside.
- Cut a 12×12-inch piece of aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining butter and then stir in the thyme and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant, but not browned. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Roughly divide the potato slices into four piles.
- Begin layering the potatoes in a circular pattern at the bottom of the greased skillet. Starting in the center of the pan, layer ¼ of the potato slices, overlapping slightly to get a circular pattern.
- Use a pastry brush to slather ¼ of the butter mixture over the potatoes and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Finally, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese over the potatoes.
- Repeat the process, making two more layers and ending with Parmesan cheese.
- Use the last of the potatoes to arrange on top in a final layer.
- Press down on the top layer of potatoes to compress everything and remove any air pockets.
- Place the skillet on the stovetop over high heat and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Gently shake the pan often to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the skillet. You should hear a bit of a sizzle. This is what’ll give us the gorgeous, golden, and slightly crispy ‘top’ when inverted.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and place the skillet in the preheated oven.
- Bake for 1 hour or until the potatoes are tender and golden brown on the top. Remove the skillet from the oven and allow rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
- Use a small spatula to run around the edges of the potatoes in the pan. Shake the pan to loosen the potatoes from the bottom of the pan.
- Use a serving plate to cover the pan. Carefully invert the potatoes onto the serving plate.
- If any potatoes are stuck to the bottom of the pan, scrape them off and place them where they belong. You can also serve the potatoes directly from the pan.
- Cut into wedges, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve hot.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: French
Keywords: pommes anna, French recipes, potatoes, potato cakes, Thanksgiving, Holiday, potato cakes, side dish, side dish recipes
