Pommes Anna
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes plus 20 minutes resting time
Cooking time: 10+25+15 minutes
- 125g/4ozs salted butter
- 1kg/2.2lbs waxy starchy potatoes (Desirees work best)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Vinegar salt (not optional!)
- 1 small scoop sour cream, caviar and dill (optional)
Step 1 - First place the butter in a small saucepan and heat on medium heat until bubbling and it starts to smell nutty. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve - you'll end up with around 95g/3ozs of browned butter. Add garlic powder and set aside.
Step 2 - Wash and peel the potatoes. Slice them with a mandolin on setting #2 (not the thinnest) and place in a bowl. Preheat oven to 180C/350F fan forced and adjust the shelves so that the frying pan plus a heavy saucepan can fit. Heat the frying pan on medium heat and once hot add the oil and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter.
Step 3 - Set the timer for 10 minutes. Place the first layer of potatoes down overlapping slightly. Use the best pieces for this as this will be the top that shows. Repeat but once you use a quarter of the potatoes drizzle some of the melted butter on top and season with salt. Repeat with the potatoes, butter and salt (don't use the last gritty bits of the clarified butter). Place a sheet of baking paper on top and then press down on top of this with a heavy pan or pot. Once the 10 minutes time is up, move the whole structure (saucepan with potatoes, baking paper and pot on top) to the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Step 4 - Carefully (with oven mitts obvs) remove the pot on top and the baking paper and continue to bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Place a serving plate on top and upturn the pan and the Pommes Anna should slide out easily. Sprinkle vinegar salt generously on top and then add a scoop of sour cream , caviar and dill.
Personal Note
We're getting into the home stretch at the moment and the tree is up and the scent of Christmas cookies is filling the air. Last year we didn't put up a tree because we were so depressed about the moth situation that we just didn't want to celebrate (and also we thought that it would just make them another place to hide out). This year the moths have truly packed up and left and our house smells like lemongrass (to make sure they stay out) and everything is much more celebratory.
"I've got a vision for this year's Christmas tree!" I said to Mr NQN while we were sitting in bed one night. "I saw it on TikTok, this year it's going to all be about ribbons!" I said palms outstretched up in the air as if I were some Hollywood director explaining my complicated vision. Mr NQN sort of just smiled and braced himself for Hurricane Lorraine. "I've got 60 metres/200feet of velvet ribbon and lots of icicle tinsel coming!" I said excitedly. I also had an enormous pink bow for the top of the tree.
We have a deal: he puts up the Christmas tree and I decorate it. Mr NQN can be a bit of a drama queen and he sighed deeply when dragging it out. It only took him 10 minutes to put it together but carries on a lot. I made all of the bows by hand using ribbon and waited for the tinsel to arrive. I have to be honest our tree without tinsel looks like it needs hair extensions as it is sparse even though it was supposed to be lush. That's what happens when you buy a tree on the internet during COVID. The tinsel arrived 2 days later and filled in the gaps and added food ornaments and special ornaments.
"What do you think?" I said turning on the lights.
"Not bad, not bad..." he said nodding approvingly. "It looks good," he added which is about his highest compliment.
So tell me Dear Reader, who puts the tree up at your place? And who decorates it? What is your favourite potato dish?