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Ahh, the versatile and humble potato. I don't know if it is my Irish ancestry or not, but I absolutely love potatoes in any shape or form. This Duck Fat Pommes Anna recipe takes that love and admiration to a whole new level!! This recipe is not difficult to prepare, but it can be a bit time consuming especially if you slice all of your potatoes by hand.
So I highly recommend that you invest in a mandolin. Trust me, as long as we are friends you are going to get good use out of it!
What is Duck Fat Pommes Anna?
Pommes Anna is a classic French dish of very thinly sliced, layered potatoes cooked in a very large amount of melted butter. I decided to take this dish to the next level and replaced the butter with duck fat.
The traditional version call for firm potatoes and butter only. They are very thinly sliced, layered in a pan, doused with large amounts of butter and baked until they form a potato cake. Then the cake is flipped every ten minutes until the outside is golden and crisp. (I skipped that part)
It is then cut into wedges and served immediately.
How to make Duck Fat Pommes Anna:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Peel, rinse and drain the potatoes.
Fill a large bowl about halfway with salted water. Set aside.
Thinly slice the potatoes, about 1/8-inch on a mandolin or with a very sharp knife.
Place the potato slices in the salted water as you go.
Drain the potatoes, then lay them out on a dish towel. Pat them dry with a second towel, or paper towels.
Melt the duck fat and mix in the thyme leaves.
Coat the bottom of an 8-in cast iron skillet or pie plate with melted duck fat.
Begin layering the potato slices around the bottom of the pan,slightly overlapping.
Drizzle with duck fat (I use a pastry brush for this) and season with salt and pepper. Repeat the process with the remaining potato slices and duck fat.
Top with grated cheese and bake for one hour until browned and crispy. I did not do this, my son is allergic to dairy so I added the cheese after it was baked.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
No, this is not health food! No, this is not a "traditional" representation of the original recipe. Yes, this recipe is amazing and you need to make it...tonight!!
Notes:
- I did not have an 8-in cast iron skillet so I used a 10-inch which makes for a thinner potato cake.
- You can substitute any 8-in baking dish; pie plate, quiche pan, etc.
- The potatoes should be thin like potato chips or they will not stick together. I will you an example down below.
- I used Pecorino Romano because that was in the Sur la table cooking class menu. Feel free to substitute Parmesan, or your favorite cheese.
This is what happens when you use thicker potato slices:
It does not hold together and it doesn't have that delicate texture you get with thinner slices.
More delicious potato recipes:
Instant Pot Loaded Mashed Potatoes
Instant Pot Bacon Potato Salad
I was not kidding when I said that I love potatoes! 🙂
Enjoy!!
Duck Fat Pommes Anna
Equipment
- Mandolin
Ingredients
- 2.75 pounds Yukon gold potatoes peeled and very thinly sliced
- 4.25 ounces duck fat or clarified butter
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 teaspoons sea salt divided - half for the water, half to season the layers
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese shaved or grated - substitute Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Peel, rinse and drain the potatoes.
- Fill a large bowl about halfway with salted water. Set aside.
- Thinly slice the potatoes, about 1/8-inch on a mandolin or with a very sharp knife.
- Place the potato slices in the salted water as you go.
- Drain the potatoes, then lay them out on a dish towel. Pat them dry with a second towel, or paper towels.
- Melt the duck fat and mix in the thyme leaves.
- Coat the bottom of an 8-in cast iron skillet or pie plate with melted duck fat.
- Begin layering the potato slices around the bottom of the pan,slightly overlapping.
- Drizzle with duck fat (I use a pastry brush for this) and season with salt and pepper. Repeat the process with the remaining potato slices and duck fat.
- Top with grated cheese and bake for one hour until browned and crispy. I did not do this, my son is allergic to dairy so I added the cheese after it was baked.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
Notes
- I did not have an 8-in cast iron skillet so I used a 10-inch which makes for a thinner potato cake.
- You can substitute any 8-in baking dish; pie plate, quiche pan, etc.
- The potatoes should be thin like potato chips or they will not stick together. I will you an example down below.
- I used Pecorino Romano because that was in the Sur la table cooking class menu. Feel free to substitute Parmesan, or your favorite cheese.
- Yes, the prep time is listed at one hour. It took me an hour to peel and layer all of the slices.
Nutrition
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