French cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Pommes Anna

Paper-thin potato slices pressed in layers of butter and baked in the pan into a crisp cake.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1 kg waxy potatoes
• 150 g butter
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Peel the potatoes and slice into 2 mm thin rounds with a mandoline; don't wash them, as the starch will hold the layers together later.
2. Melt the butter in a pot, let it settle briefly and carefully pour off the clarified butter – the milky residue at the bottom would burn during baking.
3. Rub a 24 cm ovenproof pan with the halved garlic clove and brush with clarified butter, arrange the bottom rosette-style with overlapping slices and brush with butter, salt and pepper.
4. Continue layer by layer, buttering and seasoning each layer and scattering thyme leaves in between, until all the slices are used; press the mixture firmly together with a spatula.
5. Let the pan cook on the stovetop over medium heat for 5 min. until the bottom layer sizzles audibly, then bake in the oven at 200°C (400°F) for 45 min. until a knife slides through without resistance.
6. Let the cake rest for 5 min., turn out onto a platter, sprinkle with the coarse sea salt and cut into wedges.