Classic Pommes Anna Simple French Gratin Potato Cake Recipes

POMMES ANNA

Steps:

• Slice potatoes in 1/8-inch thick rounds and soak in ice water for at least 30 minutes. Drain slices and pat dry with paper towels.
• Combine butter and garlic.
• In a deep 10-inch greased pie plate or casserole, arrange 1/3 of the potato slices in slightly overlapping fashion, beginning with the outside edges and continuing the circle design to center of dish.
• Layer 1/3 of onion slices, broken into rings, on top of the potatoes, then 1/3 of butter mixture, salt, pepper, paprika and cheese. Repeat this process 2 more times, ending with cheese on top.
• Bake, covered at 400 degrees for 1 hour. If cheese is not brown on top, place under broiler for 4-5 minutes. Cut in wedges to serve.

CLASSIC POMMES ANNA - SIMPLE FRENCH GRATIN POTATO CAKE

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/gas 6.
• Put the potato slices in a colander and rinse under running water to get rid of the starch. Place on a cloth in a single layer and pat dry.
• Generously grease the base of an ovenproof pan or baking dish with melted butter.
• Arrange the potato slices in the pan in overlapping circles , brushing butter over each layer and seasoning as you go.
• Cover with greaseproof paper or a lid. Bake in the oven for 45minutes or up to 1 hour. Test with a skewer to see if the potatoes are done.
• Cooks Notes:.
• Cook this in a cast-iron, heavy-bottomed, stubby-handled frying pan that goes in the oven. Traditionally it should be lidded - mine isn't, so I use greaseproof paper.
• Historical Note:.
• Mrs. Landemare's original recipe is:.
• Potatoes. Fresh butter.
• Peel some potatoes and cut into very thin rounds the size of a florin. Wash in salted water and dry very well in a cloth. Well butter an omelette pan. Place a layer of potatoes on the bottom. Cover with oiled [melted] butter, pepper and salt. Repeat these layers until the pan is full and cook in a medium [350°F] over until brown [40-60 min.] Remove from the oven, turn out and cut into slices or serve whole in a dish.

POMMES ANNA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place a rack in the middle and set a rimmed baking sheet on top of it.
• Trim potatoes into cylinders, peeling any skin left after trimming. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice into 1/8-inch slices and blot dry with paper towels. You should have about 8 1/2 cups.
• In a heavy 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat 3 tablespoons clarified butter over medium heat. When hot, carefully place 1 potato slice in the middle, then quickly place more slices around it, overlapping them clockwise to make a ring. Place a second ring to surround the first, going counterclockwise. Continue to the edge of the pan, alternating the direction in which the potato rings overlap. Sprinkle with a generous 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with another 2 tablespoons butter.
• Create second layer of potatoes, just as you did the first. Dot a third of the garlic slices, if using, on top of this layer of potatoes. Season with salt and pepper; drizzle with butter.
• Continue layering potatoes, garlic, butter and salt until everything is used, making a dome of potatoes in the middle (they will sink as they cook). Occasionally shake skillet gently to ensure potatoes aren't sticking. When finished, there should be enough butter that it can be seen bubbling up the sides of the skillet.
• Butter the bottom of a 9-inch pan and one side of a piece of foil. Push the pan down firmly on top of the potatoes to press them. Remove pan, then cover potatoes with the foil, buttered side down. Cover the foil with a lid. Set skillet on the baking sheet in oven and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove skillet from oven, uncover and remove foil, and again press potatoes down firmly with the 9-inch pan. (Rebutter bottom of pan, if necessary, before you press down.) Return to oven and bake uncovered, until potatoes are tender and the sides are dark brown when lifted away from skillet, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Once more, remove skillet from oven and press potatoes down firmly with pan. Tip the skillet away from you to drain off the excess butter into a bowl (this can be reused for cooking), using the lid to keep the potatoes in place. Run a thin spatula around edge and bottom of skillet to loosen any slices stuck to the pan. Carefully turn out the potatoes onto a serving platter.

POMMES ANNA

Steps:

• Brush the bottom of a 9-inch heavy oven-proof non-stick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Peel 1 potato, slice it thin, using a food processor fitted with the slicing blade, or a mandoline or similar slicing device, and pat the slices dry quickly. Arrange the slices, overlapping them slightly, in layers in the skillet, brushing each layer with some of the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and seasoning it with salt and pepper. Peel, slice, pat dry, and arrange the remaining potatoes, 1 at a time, in the same manner.
• Cover the layered potatoes with foil, weight them with an ovenproof saucepan, and cook them over moderate heat for 5 minutes from the time the butter sizzles. Transfer the skillet with the pan weight to the middle of a preheated 425°F. oven and bake the potatoes for 30 minutes. Remove the weight and the foil and bake the potatoes, for 10 minutes more, or until they are tender. The potatoes may be made 2 hours in advance and kept, covered loosely, at room temperature. Reheat the potatoes, covered with the foil, in a preheated 375°F. oven for 15 minutes.