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| Alternative names | Anna potatoes |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | France |
| Main ingredients | Potatoes, butter |
Pommes Anna, orAnna potatoes, is a classic French dish of sliced, layered potatoes cooked in a very large amount of melted butter. There are several variants of the dish, containing, in addition to potatoes and butter, other ingredients, which may includeartichoke hearts,black truffles, mushrooms and cheese.
The recipe calls for firm-fleshed potatoes and butter only. Potatoes are peeled and sliced very thin. The slices, salted and peppered, are layered into a pan (see below), generously doused withclarified butter, and baked until they form a cake. Then the cake is flipped every ten minutes until the outside is golden and crisp. At the end of the cooking period, the dish is unmoulded and forms a cake 15 to 20 centimetres (6 to 8 in) in diameter and about five centimetres (2 in) high.[1] It is then cut in wedges and served immediately on a hot plate, usually accompanying cooked meat.
A special double baking dish made of copper calledla cocotte à pommes Anna is still manufactured in France for the cooking of this dish.[1] It consists of upper and lower halves which fit into each other so that the whole vessel with its contents can be inverted during cooking.
The dish is generally credited with having been created during the reign ofNapoleon III by the chefAdolphe Dugléré, a leading a pupil ofCarême. Dugléré was head chef at theCafé Anglais, the most fashionable restaurant in Paris during theSecond Empire, and reputedly named the dish for one of thegrandes cocottes (society beauties) of the period.[2] There is disagreement about which beauty the dish was named after: the actressAnna Judic orAnna Deslions.[1] InMastering the Art of French Cooking,Simone Beck andJulia Child comment that to many people, "pommes Anna is the supreme potato dish of all time".[1]
Traditionally, Pommes Anna accompaniessirloin of beefà la française (roast and garnished with tartlets filled with spinach purée)[3] orCavour (sautéed, blanched beef marrow slices on top),[4] ordu couvent (browned, braised in white wine anddemi-glace mixed with truffle, ox tongue, mushroom strips and peas).[5] The dish is also a traditional accompaniment totournedos steaks, such asArmenonville (garnished with creamed morels; deglazed withMadeira and veal gravy),à la basque (with stuffed tomatoes, and creamed celery),[6]carignan (with artichoke hearts andasparagus),[7] andLouis XV (garnished with a tartlet filled with minced mushrooms with a truffle slice on top and served with tournedos covered withsauce à la diable).[8] Pommes Anna is also served with sautéed chicken dishes such asRivoli (deglazed with sherry, demi-glace and tomato purée, with chopped truffles),[9] and with veal, such aslonge de veau à la française (roast loin, with creamed spinach and Madeira sauce).[10]
