Pommes Anna recipe is a classic French dish of elegantly overlapped circular bands of layered potatoes cooked in a very large amount of melted butter and decidedly not calorie-free!!! With only 2 ingredients, though, this buttered potato dish is simple to make, and when it cooks to a crispy, golden light brown on the outside and soft, buttery potato inside, it is magnificent!
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About Pommes Anna Recipe & Why You Will Love It
This potato dish is generally credited with having been created during the time of Napoleon III by the chef Adolphe Dugléré, when he 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 about which beauty the dish was named after: the actress Dame Judic (real name: Anna Damiens), Anna Untel, or Anna DesLions. ooh la la!
A special double-baking dish made of copper called "une cocotte à pommes Anna" is still made in France for the cooking of this dish. It consists of upper and lower halves that fit into one another so that the whole vessel with its contents can be inverted during cooking.
Key Ingredients
- small waxy potatoes, such as Charlotte, Yukon Gold, Red, or Russet
- butter
That's it! (Other than the seasoning, salt and pepper.)
How To Make Pommes Anna Recipe
- Start your oven hot at 425°F/220°C/Gas 7.
- Peel the potatoes and slice very thinly, ideally using a mandolin to ensure the potatoes are evenly sliced for even cooking.
- Thickly butter a deep ovenproof dish and line the sides with potato slices placed close together and attached firmly to the butter.
- Cover the bottom with potato slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and brush with the melted butter.
- Then cover with another layer of potatoes, seasoning, and butter and carry on till the dish is almost full.
- Cover with buttered paper and cook for 25 minutes. Press down the potatoes a few times during cooking to help form a more solid cake.
- Uncover and cook for a further 25 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
- To serve, pass the blade of a knife around the inside of the dish.
- Hold a heated plate over it and invert, giving a sharp tap as the plate is set down to turn out the contents.
- The inside should be soft and the outside crust crisp and brown.
- Alternatively, use a cast-iron skillet and start the cooking process by placing the skillet over a high heat for 2-4 minutes until the butter sizzles; then transfer to the oven when the layering of potato slices, butter and seasoning is complete.
- Don't cover with buttered paper; just leave uncovered, but reduce the oven temperature to a Moderate/Moderately Hot 375°F/191°C/Gas 5. If you need more help with oven temperatures, then use this Handy Conversion Chart For Ovens.
Top Tip For Pommes Anna Recipe
Use a mandolin, so that the slices are the same thickness. This prevents some pieces from being crunchy and undercooked, and others mushy from overcooking.
Not to mention how much easier and quicker prep is with this type of kitchen tool.
What To Serve With Pommes Anna Recipe
Similar Recipes To Pommes Anna Recipe
All the dishes below have a similar style to a delicious North American dish, scalloped potatoes.
- If you are concerned about the heavy use of butter in this recipe but still love potatoes, cook up a surprisingly delicious dish called Pommes Boulangère. It is a typical French method of oven-cooking potatoes. The simple ingredients may surprise you: onion, a sprig of thyme, olive oil, and vegetable stock.
- Pommes Lyonnaise is another sliced layered potato recipe that has a lovely mix of herbs and spices, onions, oil, and butter. It starts on the stovetop, finishes in the oven, and fills your kitchen with such a delicious aroma.
- Gratin Dauphinois is a similar dish primarily made of sliced potatoes but with the addition of cream and garlic. It can be served as a side dish or just on its own.
If you include cheese in this dish, it becomes Gratin Savoyard, another famous French potato recipe.
Pommes Anna Recipe FAQ
Yes, Pommes Anna Recipe can be made quite a few hours in advance, and then reheated, covered, in a hot oven.
Pommes Anna Recipe is made with 2 ingredients: potatoes and butter. Gratin dauphinois is made with 3 ingredients: potatoes, cream, and garlic.
Pommes Anna recipe was created in the mid-19th century by Chef Adolphe Dugléré at the number one café in Paris at the time, Café Anglais. It is well accepted that it was the name of a beautiful woman at the time.
It is a simple dish, but following the steps is important for success. It begins with buttering the baking pan well and slicing the potatoes thinly and evenly. Then layer the potatoes with butter and seasoning until all the ingredients are used, and bake in a moderately hot oven.
Pommes Anna Recipe goes well with meat, poultry, and fish, with any vegetable sides that are well liked.
📖 Recipe
Prep Like a Pro
Before you start cooking, chop, measure, and prep every ingredient, and gather your tools.
This simple habit reduces stress, prevents overcooking, and instantly improves your meals. Mise en Place - "Everything in its place."
Pommes Anna Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb small waxy potatoes such as Charlotte, Yukon Gold, Red or Russet
- 5 oz butter melted
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Turn on oven to hot 425°F/220°C/Gas 7.
- Peel the potatoes and slice very thinly, ideally using a mandolin.
- Thickly butter a deep ovenproof dish and line the sides with potato slices placed close together and attached firmly to the butter.
- Cover the bottom also and sprinkle with salt, pepper and brush with the melted butter.
- Then cover with another layer of potatoes, seasoning, and butter and carry on till the dish is almost full.
- Cover with buttered paper and cook for 25 minutes. Press down the potatoes a few times during cooking to help form a more solid cake.
- Uncover and cook for a further 25 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
- To serve pass the blade of a knife around the inside of the dish.
- Hold a heated plate over it and invert, giving a sharp tap as the plate is set down to turn out the contents.
- The inside should be soft and the outside crust crisp and brown.
- Alternatively, use a cast-iron skillet and start the cooking process by placing the skillet over a high heat for 2-4 minutes until the butter sizzles; then transfer to the oven when the layering of potato slices, butter, and seasoning is complete.
- Don't cover with buttered paper; just leave uncovered, but reduce the oven temperature to a Moderate/Moderately Hot 375°F/191°C/Gas 5. If you need more help with oven temperatures, then use this Handy Conversion Chart For Ovens.
Notes
- It is important to choose waxy potatoes such as Charlotte, Yukon Gold, Red, or Russet as they will hold their shape. Starchy potatoes will be a mushy mash.
- If changing baking dishes, the oven temperature may need adjusting.
Loved it, tweaked it, or not your "cup of tea"... I’d really love to hear how it went for you.