Pommes Anna

As you know, I love potatoes! You can mash them, fry them, roast them, bake them.... I could go on as long as Bubba goes on about shrimp in Forrest Gump. When I saw this new way to make essentially a potato pancake I had to try it. 

Ingredients: 
3 russet potatoes, washed but not peeled
Butter
Olive Oil
Salt
Non-stick sauté pan about 8-10 inches wide. 

Directions:

1. Heat 1 Tbsp. of butter with 2 tsp. of olive oil in a non stick saucepan over medium low heat until the butter melts and starts to foam slightly. Turn off the heat. 

2. Using a knife, or better yet a mandolin, slice the potatoes into very thin slices about 1/8 inch thick. 

3. Arrange the potato slices around the pan in concentric circles starting at the outside of the pan and working inward toward the center, slightly overlapping the potatoes as you go. Season with a pinch of salt. Repeat this step until you have 3 layers. 

4. Turn the heat back on to medium heat. Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and dot a few pats of butter around the edges of the pan. As the pan starts to sizzle, you will see the fat bubbling up and spitting a bit. Put a lid on the pan and seal tightly for a minute or two, giving the potatoes a little steam bath, helping to soften and cook the flesh.

5. Remove the lid and swirl the pan with a little muscle to see if the potatoes are binding together as their starch begins to heat up. If they slip loosely all around the pan, tuck the slices back into the tight circle using a heat-proof rubber spatula and allow to sizzle and cook longer uncovered. Bump up the flame a little if the cooking sounds and looks listless — you want to hear sizzle.

6. When you start to smell the potatoes turning golden and crisp — like the smell of toast — swirl the pan again to confirm that the potato layers have formed a cake, and then flip the pommes Anna and cook on the other side also until golden and crispy. Slide onto serving plate or cutting board, season with salt, and cut into wedges.