A classic from the French repertoire, pommes Anna features thinly sliced potatoes that are layered in an eye-catching circular pattern and baked in a generous amount of butter. The result is a melt-in-your-month “potato cake” with crisp golden edges that is then flipped upside down onto a serving plate.
It’s an easy, yet show-stopping side dish for every holiday season.
Origins of the Dish
Pommes Anna is said to have been created by Adolphe Dugléré (1805–1884), a chef trained by the highly recognized Marie-Antoine Carême, the founder of French “haute cuisine.”
In 1866, Dugléré became the head chef of Café Anglais, one of the most fashionable Paris restaurants in the late 19th century. The restaurant’s private lounges welcomed a wealthy clientele, accompanied by “cocottes,” the name given to the high-class singers, comedians, and courtesans of the era. Rumor has it that Dugléré named pommes Anna after one of them—some say Anna Damiens, better known under the stage name Dame Judic, while others argue that it was, in fact, courtesan Anna Deslions who inspired the chef….