Pommes Anna

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Pommes Anna is a French potato cake made of thinly sliced potatoes cooked in nothing more than butter. While humble in its ingredients, the cake is as dramatic as can be. Baked in a skillet, it gets turned out to reveal a graphic spiral of spuds on top. Chef Alexia Duchêne of Le Chêne in New York City, keeps things classic in her recipe, layering paper-thin slices of potatoes with plenty of butter to create a multilayered potato cake that’s crisp on the outside and tender in the center.

For more French classics, check out the following recipes: Bistro-Style Croque Monsieur; Poulet Rôti; and Ratatouille.

Ingredients

lb. large Yukon Gold potatoes (10–15), peeled

cups clarified butter
Kosher salt

cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, sliced

Special Equipment

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Preparation

Step 1

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Slice 5 lb. large Yukon gold potatoes (10–15), peeled, lengthwise on a mandoline set to 1-mm thickness.

Step 2

Brush a large high-sided skillet with some of 1¼ cups clarified butter to coat. Cut a round of parchment paper to fit bottom of pan and place in pan. Brush parchment with more clarified butter. Using cutter and working with a few slices stacked together at a time, punch out enough rounds to fill bottom of pan. Arrange slices around sides of pan, overlapping slightly, to create a circle (make sure slices are compact and tight). Repeat process, creating concentric circles, until you have an even layer covering entire bottom of pan. Drizzle with some clarified butter and generously season with kosher salt. Repeat process (no need to cut potatoes into rounds), creating more layers, until all of the potatoes slices and clarified butter have been used. Dot ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, sliced, over final layer of potatoes.

Step 3

Cover pan with a lid or foil and bake potatoes until tender, 50–55 minutes. Uncover and bake until deep golden brown in spots, 45–55 minutes more. Let cool slightly, then place a plate upside down over pan. Holding plate and pan together, carefully turn over in one swift motion to invert pommes Anna onto plate. Remove pan.