French Pommes Anna With A Twist And Video Recipes

POMMES JULIA

Steps:

• Wash, peel and slice potatoes 1/4" thick and drop into cold water to prevent browning. When ready, drain and pat potatoes dry with paper towels.
• In a 9 or 10" heavy bottomed cast iron or non-stick skillet, pour about 1/4" butter. Over a medium heat, arrange potato slices in a circle, sprinkle with some herbs, and a little salt and pepper.
• Add more butter and continue layering potatoes, thyme, salt and pepper, finishing with a layer of potatoes.
• Drizzle top with any remaining butter.
• Cook over medium heat until bottom begins to get brown and crusty.
• Reduce heat, cover and continue cooking until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 30-40 minutes depending on depth of pan and thickness of potatoes.
• When done, invert onto a serving plate and cut into wedges.
• Sprinkle with more fresh herbs.
• *To clarify butter, heat over a low heat until butter is melted. Spoon off and discard white foam. What remains is clarified butter. It has a higher smoking point than regular butter.

POMMES ANNA WITH GRUYERE

Steps:

• Combine salt, pepper, and thyme in a bowl.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onions until soft and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Move to a bowl.
• Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet; remove from heat.
• Arrange 1/3 of potato slices in the skillet in a slightly overlapping layer. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt mixture. Top with 1/2 of the onions and 1/2 of the Gruyere cheese. Repeat layers, ending with potatoes; sprinkle with remaining salt mixture.
• Cover and cook over medium-low heat, reducing heat to low if necessary, until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, about 5 minutes. Run a spatula around edges to loosen; let cool, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Invert potatoes carefully onto a serving dish.

POMMES ANNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
• Heat a medium nonstick or well seasoned cast iron skillet over medium to medium-low heat. With a sharp knife or box grater, slice the potatoes as thinly as possible. Pat the potato slices dry on a kitchen towel. Start to arrange 1 layer of overlapping potato slices over the bottom of the pan in concentric circles. Pour the clear liquid of the butter over the sliced potatoes, leaving the milky solids on the bottom of the saucepan. Repeat 2 more times, making 3 layers. Drizzle each layer with a bit of the butter and season the layers, alternating salt, pepper, and then nutmeg. Cook on low heat until potatoes are golden on the bottom and crisp around the outside, about 25 to 30 minutes. Shake the pan back and forth several times while cooking to keep from sticking.
• Pour off any excess butter into a small bowl and reserve. Place a flat pan lid, the diameter of the skillet, over the potatoes. Holding the lid firmly in place, gently flip over. Add the reserved butter to the pan and slide the potatoes back in. Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Shake the pan back and forth several times while cooking to keep the potatoes from sticking. The bottom should be browned and crisp and the potatoes cooked through. Pour off any fat remaining in the pan and slide the potato cake onto a serving dish. Slice into wedges, sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese and serve.