French

Pommes Anna

Pommes Anna represents one of the supreme achievements of French potato cookery — a golden, crisp-shelled cylinder of thinly sliced potatoes bound by nothing but clarified butter and their own starch. Created in the 1870s, reputedly by chef Adolphe Dugléré at the Café Anglais for the courtesan Anna Deslions, this dish demands precision at every stage. Choose firm, waxy-fleshed potatoes (Charlotte or BF-15) and slice them uniformly at 2-3mm on a mandoline — consistency is non-negotiable, as uneven slices create air pockets that prevent cohesion. The traditional copper pommes Anna mould conducts heat supremely, but a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet works admirably. Brush the base and sides liberally with clarified butter, then arrange the first layer in a tight overlapping spiral from the centre outward — this becomes the presentation face, so precision here defines the dish. Season each layer with fine salt and white pepper, drizzle clarified butter generously (you will use 150-200g total for 1kg potatoes), and continue layering until the mould is filled, pressing firmly every 3-4 layers with a flat lid. Cook on the stovetop over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until you hear a steady sizzle confirming the base is crisping, then transfer to a 200°C oven for 45-50 minutes. Press down firmly with a weight at the 20-minute mark. The finished cake should release cleanly when inverted, presenting a mahogany-gold dome with each potato slice distinct yet fused into a unified whole. Rest 5 minutes before unmoulding — the starch continues to set. The interior should be creamy and yielding, the exterior shatteringly crisp. This is the potato dish against which all others are measured.

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ServesFour portions

TotalAbout 1 hour 15 minutes, plus 5 minutes resting

Sourced1of 4 in BC

Cook

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The Market List

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1 kg

Charlotte or BF-15 potatoes

peeled, sliced uniformly at 2–3 mm on a mandoline

Origin · FranceLekker · Vancouver →

150–200 g

clarified butter

plus extra for the mould

Your own market

1 tsp

fine salt

Your own market

½ tsp

white pepper

freshly ground

Your own market

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

The Method

Soak the sliced potatoes briefly in cold water, then drain and dry thoroughly in a clean cloth. This removes surface starch for crisper edges while preserving the internal starch required for binding. The slices should feel dry to the touch before assembly begins.

Brush the base and sides of a copper pommes Anna mould or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet liberally with clarified butter. Arrange the first layer of slices in a tight overlapping spiral from the centre outward; this layer becomes the presentation face. Take the time to set each slice precisely — its position now defines the finished dish.

From the canon — Whole butter contains three components: water (16%), milk solids (4%), and fat (80%). Clarified Butter (Beurre Clarifié) and Brown Butter (Beurre Noisette) →

Season the first layer with fine salt and white pepper, then drizzle generously with clarified butter. Continue layering, seasoning and buttering each course, pressing the assembly firmly flat with a lid or weight every three to four layers to expel air pockets. This is the step on which the dish lives or dies: insufficient pressure leaves gaps that prevent the cake from cohering and releasing cleanly.

Set the mould over medium stovetop heat for 8–10 minutes. A steady, even sizzle rising from beneath the mould confirms that the base is crisping correctly and the butter is actively conducting heat through the layers.

Transfer to an oven at 200 °C. At the 20-minute mark, press down firmly once more with a weight. Continue cooking for a total oven time of 45–50 minutes. The mould will emit the scent of caramelising butter and potato — deepening from milky to nutty — as the crust develops.

If the base requires further colour, return the mould to the stovetop over medium heat for 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat and rest, undisturbed, for 5 minutes — the starch continues to set during this period. Run a palette knife around the edge, then invert confidently onto a warm serving plate. The cake should release cleanly, presenting a mahogany-gold dome with each slice distinct yet fused into a unified whole.

III

Quality Hierarchy

Reserve — Charlotte or BF-15 potatoes of named provenance, freshly clarified butter from cultured cream, cooked in a purpose-built copper moule à pommes Anna with its tight-fitting lid.

Estate — Good-quality waxy potatoes from a trusted supplier, clarified butter made to order, a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet used as the mould.

Market — Any firm, waxy-fleshed potato available at market, commercial clarified butter or ghee, cast-iron or heavy ovenproof pan.

House — The minimum viable version: waxy potatoes sliced as evenly as possible, unsalted butter clarified at home, any heavy ovenproof vessel with a flat lid that can act as a press.

Sensory Tests

◇Sound. A steady sizzle from beneath the mould during the stovetop phase confirms the base is crisping and the butter is conducting heat evenly through the layers.

◇Smell. During the oven phase, the aroma of clarified butter deepens from milky to nutty, signalling that caramelisation of the crust is progressing.

◇Touch. After resting 5 minutes, the cake resists gentle lateral pressure and feels set as a unified mass rather than a loose stack of slices.

◇Sight. On inversion, the dome is mahogany-gold, each slice distinct yet fused; the crust shows no pale or wet patches.

◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies in the layering: every three to four courses must be pressed firmly to close all air pockets, because gaps prevent cohesion and the cake will not hold when inverted.

Pillar V

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