This Individual Pommes Anna, or Anna Potatoes recipe is buttery, aromatic and perfect for a beautiful single serving. It's one of the prettiest, easiest ways to serve potatoes!
This is the side dish I go to when I want to be a little fancy without making something difficult that takes too much time.
Picture Brisket Stew or Lemon Roasted Chicken sitting next to it a couple of these pretty potato stacks. Can you imagine how good the sauces would be, seeping into the tiny crevices between thinly sliced potatoes?
This is a very easy "cheat" method to make individual Pommes Anna -- we use a muffin tin to shape and bake them.
What exactly is Pommes Anna?
- Named after a mid-19th century Parisian beauty, Pommes Anna, or Anna Potatoes, is a classic French dish of thinly sliced, layered potatoes cooked in melted butter.
- The layered thin potato slices are shaped into a cake-like formation and cooked until crispy.
- The starch in the potatoes holds the "cake" together. For this reason, the potato slices should not be rinsed or soaked in water.
How to Make Individual Pommes Anna
- Add finely chopped thyme and salt to a large mixing bowl and set it aside.
- Clarify the butter: Add the butter to a small sauté pan and turn the heat to low. Melt the butter completely and then use a spoon to remove the milk solids from the top surface. Then pour the clarified butter into the mixing bowl with the thyme, leaving any milk solids that have settled to the bottom in the pan.
Recipe Tip: Don't skip clarifying the butter because removing the milk solids allows the butter to have a higher smoke point.
- Preferably using a mandoline, slice the potatoes as thinly as possible, but not paper thin! Add all of the slices to the bowl with the butter, and use your hands to be sure the slices separate and all become well coated.
- Use a pastry brush to add a small amount of the melted butter to 8 cups in a muffin pan. Then line them with parchment paper rounds. (You can get the size right by outlining the bottom of the cups from the muffin tin on the parchment.)
- Divide potato slices evenly among the prepared muffin cups, layering them in a circular pattern. Lightly press the top of each one to make sure the potatoes are packed. Drizzle any remaining butter-thyme mixture over them.
- Cover the muffin tin lightly with foil and place in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes. The potatoes should now be tender.
- Remove the muffin tin from the oven, turn it up to 425°F, and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Very gently, use a small offset metal spatula to remove each potato "cake" from the muffin pan, and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Be sure to take each parchment round off the bottoms as you go. Place them back in the now 425°F oven until the edges of the potatoes are golden, about 10 minutes.
Making Them Ahead
Although they're at their best immediately after they're cooked, Pommes Anna recipe can be made a few hours ahead, and reheated in the oven just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
- As I mentioned, meat and chicken dishes are fabulous with Pommes Anna. A few more that would be great with it are Mushroom Pork Stew, Pesto-Crusted Lamb, and Rosemary Ribeye Steak.
- And to have a vegetarian meal, I love it with this slow-cooked red cabbage stew.
- And if you're planning a brunch, and want to take it up a notch from hash browns and eggs, how about serving Individual Pommes Anna with eggs?
More Must-Try Potato Side Dishes
I hope you love them!
Individual Pommes Anna Recipe
Equipment
- small offset spatula
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, clarified (see recipe instruction no. 2))
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, washed and dried, finely chopped
- 1½ pounds small potatoes (Baby Dutch Yellow are perfect), washed and dried
- ½ teaspoon salt
- a few turns of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Set oven, prep herbs. Preheat the oven to 375°F and adjust a rack to the center. Add the thyme and salt to a large mixing bowl and set it aside.
- Clarify butter. Add the butter to a small sauté pan and turn the heat to low. Melt the butter completely. Use a spoon to remove the milk solids from the top surface. Then, very slowly, pour the butter into the large mixing bowl with the thyme, leaving any milk solids that have settled to the bottom, in the pan.
- Prepare the muffin pan. Use a pastry brush and a small amount of the melted butter to grease 8 cups in a muffin pan. Then line them with parchment paper rounds. (You can get the size right by outlining the bottom of the cups from the muffin tin on the parchment.)
- Slice potatoes. Preferably using a mandoline, slice the potatoes as thinly as possible, but not paper thin! Add all of the slices to the bowl with the butter, and use your hands to be sure the slices separate and all become well coated.
- Assemble in pan. Divide potato slices evenly among the prepared muffin cups, layering them in a circular pattern. Lightly press the top of each one to make sure the potatoes are packed. Drizzle any remaining butter-thyme mixture over them.
- Bake. Cover the muffin tin lightly with foil and place in the preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes. The potatoes should now be tender. Remove the muffin tin from the oven, turn it up to 425°F, and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Very gently, use a small offset metal spatula to remove each potato cake from the muffin pan, and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Be sure to take each parchment round off the bottoms as you go. Place them back in the now 425°F oven until the edges of the potatoes are golden, about 10 minutes.
- Serve ASAP!
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Quyen - Kitchen Runway
Such an elegant dish with only 4 ingredients! Awesome! 🙂 I love potatoes - in every shape & form!
Terris - Free Eats
These really are beautiful. I love straightforward preparations that allow ingredients to shine. Lovely blog, I can't wait to browse some more. 🙂
valentina
thank you so much! enjoy!
Christine
Hi Valentina, Your Pommes Anna recipe has been selected to be featured in a Recipe Guessing Game.
valentina
Fun, Christine! Thanks! 😀
Kaye Kittrell
Wonderful! I'm trying this!! - Kaye
http://www.youtube.com/user/kittrellkaye
nancy
One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE potato dishes!! I absolutely love the idea of making them in a muffin tin - absolutely brilliant!!
valentina
Thanks, Nancy! I've made them without, and this was really simplifies the whole process. 🙂
Sharon
This is such a lovely side dish to any main meal. Would go great for a romatic Valentine's day dish too.
valentina
I love that idea Sharon! 🙂
Noelle
Love this dish!! Thank you.
valentina
Thank YOU!
Amanda
This looks like the perfect side dish! You can't go wrong with potatoes and butter. Thanks for sharing!
valentina
I completely agree about butter + potatoes. 🙂 Thx!
Taylor Kiser
Such an easy and delicious side dish! Definitely would need seconds on this!
valentina
Me too! 🙂 Thanks!
Jori
You had me at potatoes and butter. I'm making beef stew for dinner tomorrow; these will go with that perfectly!
Ron
A wonderfully tasty classic dish and you just showed us an easy way to make them. I love your parchment paper tip as they will stick. Paired with your Braised Brisket Stew would be wonderful. I must confess, I love them the next morning reheated with poached eggs.
valentina
I love the idea of having them with poached eggs. Perfect! Thanks for coming by, Ron! 🙂
David
I’ve always heard of Pommes Anna but have neither made nor had them served to me. They are so elegant for a dish made so simple by you! Genius.
valentina
You are very kind. Thank you David and enjoy! 🙂
David @ Spiced
Wow, you're right that Pommes Anna are pretty! What a fun way to serve potatoes. I wasn't familiar with this style, but it's on my radar now for sure. I love potatoes when they've got that combination of soft and crispy going on. Great recipe, my friend!
valentina
I think you just nailed exactly what I love about potatoes! They can be soft and crispy all at once Thanks!:-)
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Oh, wow! These are really pretty! What a lovely side dish for entertaining too - the presentation is so special. With all the winter comfort foods I've been enjoying lately, these would be some welcomed to serve alongside 🙂 Pinned! Hope you have a wonderful week, Valentina!
valentina
I hope you have a wonderful week too, Dawn. And many thanks for the Pommes Anna compliments! 🙂
Cookilicious
It is always interesting to know about world cuisine. Thanks for sharing this post with us. Enlightening read!
valentina
Thanks so much for checking it out! 🙂
Deb|EastofEdenCooking
Melt in your mouth goodness! A plus is finding another use for the muffin/cupcake pan in my cupboard.....
valentina
Thanks, Deb! I'm learning that muffins/cupcakes are just one of my things that can be made in a muffin tin. 🙂
John / Kitchen Riffs
I haven't made this dish in years! And don't see it all that often on restaurant menus. Too bad, because it looks terrific, and tastes better. I clarify my butter the same way you do -- easiest method going. Anyway, fun post -- thanks.
valentina
Thanks so much, John. I don't really see it on menus either, come to think of it. Well, we'll just keep making it at home. 🙂
James
I have never made this, but want to right now! I'm debating between the brisket or egg on top. I think both is the answer!
valentina
oooh, I like that. Both is best. Thanks for stopping by, James. 🙂
mimi rippee
Fabulous! This is the way I've always made them, probably because my mother is French. But I love how you did the individual stacks!
valentina
Thanks so much Mimi! Love that your mom made this. 🙂
Kelly | Foodtasia
These look SO GOOD! I must have stopped breathing when you described the sauce from the brisket seeping into the crevices!
valentina
Ha! I love that -- but keep breathing! 😉 Hope you try it, and thanks for visiting. ~Valentina
2pots2cook
Beautiful and simple. That is exactly my cup of tea ! Thank you so much !
valentina
Thanks! Yes, beautiful and simple is a good combo. 🙂
Karen (Back Road Journal)
Love the little individual stacks, it makes for a terrific presentation. I can't wait to serve these at my next dinner party. I've pinned, thank you!
valentina
Thanks so much for pinning, Karen. And of course for the visit. Hope you love it! 🙂
Jeff the Chef
I love potatoes, and who doesn't love butter? I've love a nice poached egg on top!
valentina
That sounds perfect, Jeff. Love it.
Gerlinde de Broekert
What a great presentation , perfect for a dinner party.
valentina
Thanks so much. Enjoy!
Mike Forrester
Very good recipe. Little potato stacks perfectly done, flavored with thyme, and nicely golden.
valentina
Thanks so much, Mike! So happy you liked the recipe -- it's one of my favorites. 🙂 ~Valentina
Eha
Before the ebbs and flows of life led to Asian and African and island meals five days out of seven and potatoes but rarely in the house, Pommes Anna was quite often made when friends came to call . . . oft with ghee if I remember . . . ? Tho' I rarely use butter these days . . . once friends can freely come for long weekends again I;ll remember to spoil them . . . lovely . . .
valentina
Thank you! Butter and potatoes are do the trick for spoiling friends. 🙂 ~Valentina