POTATOES ANNA
About the Recipe
Potatoes Anna is unique and spectacularly scrumptious, a sublime potato cake--its golden, potato-chip-like exterior encasing a meltingly tender, supremely buttery interior. Dating back to Napoleon III's Second Empire Paris, it was created by famed chef Adolphe Dugléré at Cafe Anglaise to honor a favorite customer, Anna Deslions, a 19thcentury beauty--arguably Zola’s model for Nana-- said to have serviced 3 kings, l2 emperors, l8 princes, 34 dukes, 2 princesses and several actresses in the Café’s infamous upstairs private dining room.
My personal--and less exotic-- fascination with pommes Anna also began in Paris, at Brasserie Bofinger when I was 19. Having trouble believing the waiter's explanation that the miraculous galette was nothing but thinly sliced potatoes, butter, salt and pepper cooked briefly on the stove top and finished off in a hot oven, I suspected the magic must rest in a secret French trick, ingredient or impossible-to-manage-at-home technique.
I was wrong. Though this elegant showstopper holds its own on even the most lavish occasion, it’s quick and easy. Use a heavy skillet and the best butter you can find, and the heavenly concoction is hard to mess up. But don’t undercook; without its characteristic golden shell, the dish remains humble spuds rather than food for the gods.
And no matter what anyone tells you, don’t rinse the raw potato slices. Their starch provides the necessary glue that prevents the cake from falling apart when unmolded. In a pinch, Potatoes Anna can be completed up to 6 hours in advance, cooled completely, covered loosely with foil, and reheated for 15-20 minutes in a 350-degree oven when ready to serve.
The adventurous can sprinkle chives, grated cheese, sautéed onions, or even chopped black truffles between the layers before baking. Hard to go wrong.
Potatoes Anna
Ingredients
Makes one 9-10-inch potato cake to serve 6 as a side dish
2 pounds Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, washed but not peeled (you can peel if you feel you must but it’s extra work and unnecessary)
1 tablespoons olive oil
7 tablespoons unsalted butter (the best and freshest you can get your hands on)
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped chives or parsley (optional)
METHOD
Slice potatoes approximately 1/16-inch thick.
Preheat oven to 425 with rack in the lowest position. Over medium-low heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter plus the olive oil in a 9-10 inch well-seasoned cast iron skillet, heavy nonstick skillet or omelette pan with an ovenproof handle. When butter is melted and beginning to foam, remove from heat and swirl to coat sides of pan
Place pan back over low heat. In the middle of the skillet, set one potato slice. Using the best-looking potato slices, overlap them in a circle around the center (this will be the top layer). Continue with overlapping layers of potatoes--seasoning with salt and pepper and pushing down to compact the potatoes as you go -- until potatoes are used up. Fit any extra potato slices or pieces into any holes that are left between slices. Remember that only the bottom layer and sides of the potato cake will show once inverted.
Dot potatoes with remaining butter and cover with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Use your hands to press down hard on the potatoes to compact them as much as possible.
Place a lid over the parchment paper, put pan on a baking sheet, and place on the lowest rack of the oven. Bake covered for 20 minutes.
After 25 minutes, remove lid and press down, with a small plate or large spatula, to compact the potatoes as much as possible.
Bake 30 minutes more and then check for doneness. Bake 10-15 minutes more if necessary. When done, potatoes will be very tender when cut into with a small knife and will be golden brown and crispy underneath and around the edges. If the potatoes need a bit of extra browning, place the pan on the oven floor or back on the burner for the last 5 minutes of cooking, but be careful they don’t burn.
When done, remove from oven or heat and let stand undisturbed for 10 minutes. Run a small knife around the inside of the pan. Press a plate against the potatoes and tilt the pan over a bowl to get rid of excess butter. Place an inverted platter over the skillet, invert the skillet and platter together, and lift off the skillet. If some of the potatoes have stuck, use a spatula to lift them out and push them back into place. Cut into 6 wedges. Serve immediately. Sprinkle with fresh parsley or chives if desired.