French Roots Anna Recipes

ROOT VEGETABLES ANNA

Steps:

• Spray 9 1/2-inch-diameter nonstick oven-proof skillet with vegetable oil spray; add 2 tablespoons melted butter. Arrange half of potato rounds in skillet, overlapping in concentric circles. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Alternate celery root slices and turnip slices atop potatoes in overlapping concentric circles. Sprinkle with rosemary, then lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Top with remaining potato slices in overlapping concentric circles. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Press with spatula to compact.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook vegetables over medium heat 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until bottom layer is golden, about 25 minutes. Uncover and drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Transfer skillet to oven; bake uncovered until vegetables are very tender and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Run small knife around vegetables to loosen from skillet. Place large platter atop skillet. Using pot holders, firmly hold skillet and platter together and invert vegetables onto platter. Cut into wedges and serve.

POTATOES ANNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Using a food processor with a slicing blade or a sharp knife, slice potatoes as thinly as possible, 1/4 inch thick or thinner. (Do not place sliced potatoes in water; the starch is needed to bind the layers.)
• Brush bottom of a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with 1 1/2 tablespoons butter. Starting in center of pan, arrange potato slices, slightly overlapping, in circular pattern, covering surface. Brush with another 1 1/2 tablespoons butter; season well with salt and pepper. Repeat for two more layers.
• Place over high heat until butter in pan sizzles, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Transfer to oven; bake until potatoes are fork-tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Run a small spatula around edges of potatoes; slide large spatula underneath potatoes to loosen. Carefully invert onto a plate, and cut into wedges.

YUKON GOLD AND SWEET POTATOES ANNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut Yukon Gold and sweet potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick slices with a handheld slicer or sharp knife, keeping potato varieties separate.
• Brush an ovenproof 9- or 10-inch nonstick skillet with some butter. Starting in center of pan, arrange about 20 Yukon Gold slices, slightly overlapping, in a circular pattern, covering surface. Brush with butter and generously season with salt and pepper. Make next layer with sweet-potato slices; brush with butter and season. Repeat, alternating colors. Drizzle remaining butter on top of potatoes.
• Cook potatoes over medium-high heat until butter vigorously bubbles in pan, about 4 minutes. Transfer to oven and bake 30 minutes. Tent loosely with foil and continue to bake until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes more. Remove from oven, and run a heatproof flexible spatula around edges of potatoes to loosen. Let cool; carefully invert onto a plate, cut into wedges, and serve.

POMMES ANNA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place a rack in the middle and set a rimmed baking sheet on top of it.
• Trim potatoes into cylinders, peeling any skin left after trimming. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice into 1/8-inch slices and blot dry with paper towels. You should have about 8 1/2 cups.
• In a heavy 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat 3 tablespoons clarified butter over medium heat. When hot, carefully place 1 potato slice in the middle, then quickly place more slices around it, overlapping them clockwise to make a ring. Place a second ring to surround the first, going counterclockwise. Continue to the edge of the pan, alternating the direction in which the potato rings overlap. Sprinkle with a generous 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with another 2 tablespoons butter.
• Create second layer of potatoes, just as you did the first. Dot a third of the garlic slices, if using, on top of this layer of potatoes. Season with salt and pepper; drizzle with butter.
• Continue layering potatoes, garlic, butter and salt until everything is used, making a dome of potatoes in the middle (they will sink as they cook). Occasionally shake skillet gently to ensure potatoes aren't sticking. When finished, there should be enough butter that it can be seen bubbling up the sides of the skillet.
• Butter the bottom of a 9-inch pan and one side of a piece of foil. Push the pan down firmly on top of the potatoes to press them. Remove pan, then cover potatoes with the foil, buttered side down. Cover the foil with a lid. Set skillet on the baking sheet in oven and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove skillet from oven, uncover and remove foil, and again press potatoes down firmly with the 9-inch pan. (Rebutter bottom of pan, if necessary, before you press down.) Return to oven and bake uncovered, until potatoes are tender and the sides are dark brown when lifted away from skillet, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Once more, remove skillet from oven and press potatoes down firmly with pan. Tip the skillet away from you to drain off the excess butter into a bowl (this can be reused for cooking), using the lid to keep the potatoes in place. Run a thin spatula around edge and bottom of skillet to loosen any slices stuck to the pan. Carefully turn out the potatoes onto a serving platter.

FRENCH ROOTS ANNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put garlic into an ovenproof ramekin, and drizzle with oil. Roast garlic until light brown and tender, about 20 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel garlic, cut into thin slices, and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet, swirling skillet to coat bottom and sides. Remove from heat. Starting at sides, arrange about half of the rutabaga slices, slightly overlapping, in a circular pattern, covering bottom; press. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, a pinch of pepper, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, and a third of the roasted garlic; dot with 1 tablespoon butter. Repeat process with potato slices, and then remaining rutabaga slices, for 2 more layers (do not sprinkle thyme on top layer).
• Butter a large piece of foil with remaining tablespoon butter. Cover skillet tightly with foil, buttered side down. Place another skillet on top to weigh down. Bake until vegetables are tender, 50 to 60 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 15 minutes. Remove foil, and invert carefully onto a serving dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 day; reheat in a 300 degrees oven to serve.

ROOTS ANNA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place garlic in an ovenproof ramekin; drizzle with olive oil. Roast until light brown and very soft, about 20 minutes. Remove garlic from oven, and let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel garlic, cut into slices, and set aside. Reduce heat to 425 degrees.
• Meanwhile, peel potatoes, and slice them as thinly as possible; place them in a bowl, and put damp paper towel on top to keep them from turning brown. Peel rutabaga, and cut in half, slice as thinly as possible, and cover with a damp paper towel.
• In a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter, swirling pan to coat bottom and sides. Remove from heat. Starting at the sides of the pan, arrange about half of the rutabaga slices in overlapping concentric circles, covering bottom of pan; press to compress. Sprinkle rutabaga with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, and a third of the roasted garlic; dot with 1 tablespoon butter.
• Arrange the potato slices in tight concentric circles over the rutabaga, and press down. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, and another third of the garlic; dot with 1 tablespoon butter. Arrange remaining rutabaga on top, and season again with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and remaining garlic; dot with 1 tablespoon butter.
• Spread a large piece of aluminum foil with remaining tablespoon butter. Cover skillet tightly with the foil, buttered side down. Place a cast-iron skillet on the foil to weigh it down, and transfer to the oven. Bake until vegetables are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 50 to 60 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven, and let stand on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove foil, and invert roots carefully onto a serving dish. Garnish with remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme, and serve warm. This can be made ahead of time and reheated.

CELERY ROOT "ANNA" WITH BACON AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400° F.
• Cook bacon until crisp and crumble. Melt butter and lightly brush over bottom and sides of a well-seasoned cast-iron or non-stick 10-inch skillet.
• With a sharp knife peel celery root and, using a mandoline or other manual slicer, cut crosswise into 1/16-inch-thick slices. Arrange 1 slice in center of skillet and arrange one layer of slices around center slice in a concentric circle, overlapping them slightly. Lightly brush layer with some of melted butter (being careful not to move slices) and sprinkle with one third bacon, 1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan, 3/4 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon olives, and salt and pepper to taste. Repeat procedure twice but reverse direction of slices each time so that layers are even. Add one more layer of celery root. Brush top with any remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan and remaining thyme. Cover top of skillet tightly with foil and bake celery root in middle of oven 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, or until celery root is tender and top and edges are golden brown.
• Transfer celery root Anna with 2 large spatulas to a cutting board and cut into wedges.