Pommes Anna (or Potato Anna) is a classic French dish of buttery sliced potatoes stacked into a cake-like form that is baked until crisp on the edges and tender on the inside. The signature presentation of a Pommes Anna is flipped over onto a serving dish where the golden brown bottom becomes the top. Pommes Anna is a dish made known to me by Julia Child who famously said the dish is considered by some to be “the supreme potato recipe of all time.” In The French Chef Cookbook (a book of recipes Julia made on her tv show The French Chef), it is called Pommes de Terre Anna, mold of sliced potatoes baked in butter. I kinda really like that description of it.
A Pommes Anna involves very few ingredients (the traditional version is just butter, potatoes, s&p) and is relatively easy to prepare albeit requires a bit of time to shingle the layers into the pan. The trick is to be able to flip the potato onto a serving dish intact, without any potatoes sticking to the pan. Therefore, you must have a really good non-stick pan or a really really well-seasoned cast iron pan to pull it off. Do practice this dish before serving it to guests at a dinner party. Once you can comfortably pull this off, it is a rather satisfying culinary triumph!
If you’ve seen my recent viral Crispy Potato Stacks with Garlic Herb Butter (the mini version of this), than you already know my feelings about the mandolin. It is like a guillotine for fingertips 😮 I’ll share the same advice again that a mandolin really is the best tool for getting evenly thin slices out of 3 lbs of potatoes quickly. But be very careful with it - use the finger guard it comes with and consider additional protection in the form of a cut-resistant kitchen work glove. And no matter what, do NOT be a hero when it comes to that last little nub of potato. Just when you think you can get one last slice out of it, you will be proven terribly wrong. Based on the resounding response from readers on every channel I posted this to, way too many of us have learned this lesson the hard (painful) way!
Eat well + be well (with fingertips intact),
Sonia x
You May Also Be Interested in these other Side Dish recipes!
》crispy potato stacks with garlic herb butter (mini pommes Anna)
》green beans with miso butter onions
》Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Dried Cherries
Arrangement: Place one potato slice in the centre. Then arrange slices like overlapping shingles, in concentric circles around the pan. Repeat with next layers until all potato slices are used up — likely 3 layers. (Note: these images were taken in an earlier round of recipe testing where less clarified butter was used in the bottom of the pan.)
Recipe Note - pommes anna layered potatoes with garlic herb butter
1. What is clarified butter?
Clarified butter is butter that has been separated from the milk solids, yielding a clear golden butter that is pure butterfat with a higher smoke point and is non-sticking. Do I have to clarify the butter or can I just use melted butter? You absolutely can use melted butter in this recipe but here are two advantages of using clarified butter. One, clarified butter is non-sticking (to the same extent as oil) because the milk solids have been removed. Since we are flipping the Pommes Anna to serve, it’s a worthwhile step against sticking. Two, the process of clarifying butter also evaporates some of the water content in it. The less water (moisture), the crispier the potatoes. The process takes about 10-15 minutes.
2. What is the best way to cut potatoes into 1/8” thin slices?
Even though it is indeed the evillest kitchen implement, a mandolin really is the best tool for getting even, paper-thin slices out of 3 lbs of potatoes in relatively little time. If you don’t have a mandolin, you will need a sharp knife and really good knife skill. If you are using a mandolin, be very careful with it (you may consider finger protection in the form of a cut-resistant kitchen glove) and no matter what, do NOT be a hero when it comes to that last little nub of potato if you wish to keep your fingertips unharmed. Speaking from multiple experiences, unfortunately.
3. I want to make this for a party. What can I prepare in advance?
Fresh out of oven is the best but there are options for front-loading the prep, see below. (A word of unsolicited advice: practice making this dish at least once before making for guests to test out your non-stick pan, exact cooking timing and practice flipping it over).
Option 1: Prepare Pommes Anna fully and flip it onto an oven-safe serving plate. Keep it at room temperature. Before serving, warm in a 350f (176c) oven for 20 minutes or whenever it is hot in the center, then broil for 4-5 minutes to crisp the edges. Keep an eye when broiling. Finish with flaky salt.
Option 2: Technically pre-sliced potatoes go brown/grey from oxidization if left out too long. In this case, the buttery sauce seems coat them sufficiently to prevent oxidization so make sure to coat the potatoes well. Discard the liquid that has collected at the bottom of the bowl and follow the recipe directions for assembly. If slicing in advance, omit the salt (which draws water out of the potatoes) and toss in salt just before assembly.
4. I don’t have a non-stick pan. Can I still make this recipe?
Yes! Pommes Anna is flipped upside down onto a plate to serve, therefore a good non-stick pan (or a really well-seasoned cast iron pan) is a must otherwise the potatoes will stick and not flip out in one piece. That said, if you don’t have a non-stick pan but still want to make this recipe, there is a workaround. Serve it straight out of whatever you bake it in without flipping – I suggest a parchment-lined cake pan or other oven-safe dish. This won’t have the classic upside-down presentation of a Pommes Anna but it will be just as delicious. In this case, make sure to reserve the pretty potato slices for the top instead of the bottom. Alternatively, if you have a muffin tin, you can make mini versions using my Crispy Potato Stacks with Garlic Herb Butter recipe.
5. Your crispy potato stacks recipe has cheese in it. Can I add cheese to this too?
Yes, but with a caveat. I have tested this recipe twice with grated parmesan cheese. Even though the cheese is sprinkled in between the layers of potatoes, it melts and pools in spots to create darkened patches on the potatoes at the bottom of the pan (which becomes the top side after flipping), making the presentation less clean and pretty. Since a classic Pommes Anna is all about showing off the shingled potato layers, I decided to omit cheese from this recipe. If you don’t care about that, use ½ C (50g) grated parmesan cheese between potato layers but not on the very bottom or top.
6. How do I store and reheat pommes anna?
Cool fully, cover and store in the fridge for a day or two. To reheat, place in preheated 350f (180c) oven for 20 minutes or whenever warm through the center. Optionally broil a few minutes at the end to crisp up the top.
Pommes Anna Layered Potatoes with Garlic Herb Butter
Pommes Anna Layered Potatoes with Garlic Herb Butter
Ingredients
- ¾ C (170g) unsalted butter, to be made into clarified butter – note 1
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme, rosemary or oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt (use 2 tsp if using Diamond Crystal brand)
- Black pepper to taste
- 3 lb (1.35kg) low-starch potatoes such as Yukon, yellow or red, sliced 1/8” thick – note 2
- Flakey salt such as Maldon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400f (200c). Take out an oven safe 9” or 10” non-stick pan or really well-seasoned cast iron pan, plus another similar sized oven safe pan or pot to use as a weight during baking (I also set a burger press on top of that).
- Place butter in a small pot on the stove over medium heat. Once melted, reduce heat to low and cook until foamy on the surface. Skim foam off with a spoon and discard. Continue cooking a little more until milk solids separate and the liquid turns from a semi-translucent yellow to a clear golden liquid. Strain out milk solids through a fine sieve or just pour clarified butter into a bowl slowly while leaving milk residue behind in the pot. Clean the pot. Pour ¼ cup of the clarified butter into the non-stick pan, swirling it around to cover the entire bottom. Pour remaining clarified butter back into cleaned pot. Add minced garlic to cook on medium-low heat for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in salt, pepper, parsley and herb of choice. Set aside to cool.
- Traditional Pommes Anna call for peeled potatoes but I am lazy and also prefer the rounder shapes of unpeeled spuds so I don’t peel them – you decide for yourself. Slice potatoes thinly, just a little less than 1/8”. I highly recommend a mandolin for thin and evenly-thick slices in relatively little time. If you don’t have a mandolin, slice carefully with a sharp knife. Thicker slices will take longer to cook. Place sliced potatoes in a large mixing bowl and toss with cooled garlic herb butter.
- Arrange potato slices in the buttered pan, starting with one slice in the middle and arranging slightly overlapping slices concentrically around the pan. Choose the nicer slices for the bottom as that will be the top later. Repeat until all potato slices are used – see blog post for process photos. You should have 4 layers. If you have enough potatoes for a partial layer, center them in the middle so you get a slight dome. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top, followed by the pan or pot you’re using as a weight. Place pan on stove top over medium heat to brown the bottom for 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer into preheated oven to bake, covered with the weight on top, for 25 minutes, pulling it out midway to give the pan a good shake to loosen potatoes to prevent sticking (remove the weight and parchment briefly to do that). Put the parchment and weight back on top and continue baking. At the end of 25 minutes, remove parchment and weight and bake uncovered for 20 minutes more or when a skewer inserted in the middle pierces and emerges easily indicating the potatoes are tender and creamy.
- Run a spatula all the way around the potato edge to loosen from the sides of the pan. Shake pan to loosen potatoes on the bottom. At this point, I very carefully and very gently slide a silicon spatula underneath to check if there is any sticking and to see if further browning is desired. The potatoes are tender at this point so they can break easily. If needed, very gently loosen them without disturbing the shingled design and place pan back on the stove top over medium heat to brown, likely no more than 3 to 5 minutes.
- Before flipping Pommes Anna onto serving plate, it’s important to drain off the remaining butter under the potatoes. Use a lid to keep potatoes in place while tilting the pan to do this. You can reuse the butter.
- Flip onto serving plate while Pommes Anna is still warm. To flip, cover pan with a serving plate that is slightly larger. With one hand holding the pan handle and the other firmly pushing the plate against the potatoes, take a deep breath and flip in one swift move! If any potatoes slide out of place, gently place them back. Depending on different factors (e.g. the pan, oven temperature calibration), you may still want more colour on the top. If so, broil a few minutes until desired golden brown. Sprinkle flakey salt on top. Cool slightly to allow potatoes to set then slice into wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
1. What is clarified butter?
Clarified butter is butter that has been separated from the milk solids, yielding a clear golden butter that is pure butterfat with a higher smoke point and is non-sticking. Do I have to clarify the butter or can I just use melted butter? You absolutely can use melted butter in this recipe but here are two advantages of using clarified butter. One, clarified butter is non-sticking (to the same extent as oil) because the milk solids have been removed. Since we are flipping the Pommes Anna to serve, it’s a worthwhile step against sticking. Two, the process of clarifying butter also evaporates some of the water content in it. The less water (moisture), the crispier the potatoes. The process takes about 10-15 minutes.
2. What is the best way to cut potatoes into 1/8” thin slices?
Even though it is indeed the evillest kitchen implement, a mandolin really is the best tool for getting even, paper-thin slices out of 3 lbs of potatoes in relatively little time. If you don’t have a mandolin, you will need a sharp knife and really good knife skill. If you are using a mandolin, be very careful with it (you may consider finger protection in the form of a cut-resistant kitchen glove) and no matter what, do NOT be a hero when it comes to that last little nub of potato if you wish to keep your fingertips unharmed. Speaking from multiple experiences, unfortunately.
3. I want to make this for a party. What can I prepare in advance?
Fresh out of oven is the best but there are options for front-loading the prep, see below. (A word of unsolicited advice: practice making this dish at least once before making for guests to test out your non-stick pan, exact cooking timing and practice flipping it over).
· Option 1: Prepare Pommes Anna fully and flip it onto an oven-safe serving plate. Keep it at room temperature. Before serving, warm in a 350f (176c) oven for 20 minutes or whenever it is hot in the center, then broil for 4-5 minutes to crisp the edges. Keep an eye when broiling. Finish with flaky salt.
· Option 2: Technically pre-sliced potatoes go brown/grey from oxidization if left out too long. In this case, the buttery sauce seems coat them sufficiently to prevent oxidization so make sure to coat the potatoes well. Discard the liquid that has collected at the bottom of the bowl and follow the recipe directions for assembly. If slicing in advance, omit the salt (which draws water out of the potatoes) and toss in salt just before assembly.
4. I don’t have a non-stick pan or well-seasoned cast iron pan. Can I still make this recipe?
Pommes Anna is flipped upside down onto a plate to serve, therefore a good non-stick pan or very well-seasoned cast iron pan is a must otherwise the potatoes will stick and not flip out in one piece. That said, if you don’t have a non-stick pan but still want to make this recipe, you can! Serve it straight out of whatever you bake it in without flipping – I suggest a parchment-lined cake pan or other oven-safe dish – with a broil at the end to give it colour. This won’t have the classic upside-down presentation of a Pommes Anna but it will be delicious. In this case, make sure to reserve the pretty potato slices for the top instead of the bottom. Alternatively, if you have a muffin tin, you can make mini versions using this recipe.
5. Your crispy potato stacks recipe has cheese in it. Can I add cheese to this too?
Yes, but with a small caveat. I tested this recipe twice with grated parmesan cheese. Even though the cheese is sprinkled only in between layers of potatoes, it tends to melt and pool in spots to create darkened patches on the potatoes at the bottom of the pan (which becomes the top side after flipping), making the presentation less clean and pretty. Since a classic Pommes Anna is all about showing off the shingled potato layers, I decided to omit cheese from this recipe. If you don’t care about that, use ½ C (50g) grated parmesan cheese between potato layers but not on the very bottom or top.
6. How do I store and reheat?
Cool fully, cover and store in the fridge for a day or two. To reheat, place whole Pommes Anna or individual wedges on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350f (180c) oven for 20 minutes or whenever warm through the center. Optionally broil a few minutes at the end to crisp up the top. Sprinkle with flakey salt.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
281Fat
17 gSat. Fat
10 gCarbs
30 gFiber
4 gNet carbs
26 gSugar
1 gProtein
4 gSodium
326 mgCholesterol
43 mgDisclaimer: nutritional information is auto-generated and may not be 100% accurate.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below to let me know or tag me on Instagram @saltnpepperhere so I can see. Or drop a note if you have any questions. I’m happy to help!