Ultimate Classic Potatoes Anna Recipe (Pommes Anna)

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This Ultimate Classic Potatoes Anna Recipe is a classic French dish that you absolutely need in your life! I know you’re thinking that you’re too busy and don’t have time for fancy ‘French’ cooking, but I promise you this is for professionals and home cooks alike! You’ll thank me later.

A cutting board with potatoes Anna cut into wedges on a white background next to a linen cloth, a server, and some chopped parsley.

To say that I am excited to share Potatoes Anna with you, might just be the understatement of the year!

This is, hands down, my favorite way to enjoy potatoes. Full stop.

In culinary school, many years ago, we spent weeks learning all of the ways that the French prepare potatoes. That alone, is mind-bending and wonderful, and there was hardly a potato I didn’t love. But pommes Anna was far and above my favorite.

The sheer simplicity of 2 simple ingredients and a technique that combines heat control, pan-roasting, methodical layering, and patience, and results in a crispy, gorgeous exterior with a melt-in-your-mouth creamy center.

It’s life-changing and perfect to know as we head into the holidays. Your family and friends will be swooning!

Let’s get into it!

And if you’re looking for other side dish recipes, try these Mustard Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Puree with Roasted Garlic, these Simple Roasted Cabbage Wedges, Honey Roasted Parsnips, or these Hot Honey Whole Roasted Carrots.


Why I love this recipe:


  • SIMPLE TO MAKE – This classic recipe is so simple, that after you make it once, you won’t need a recipe! Promise! Learn the technique and you’re good to go!
  • ONLY 2 INGREDIENTS – Ok, if you count salt and pepper, that would be 4 ingredients, but do we really count salt and pepper as ingredients?! I rest my case – only 2 ingredients – the humble potato and butter!
  • INEXPENSIVE – This is a budget-friendly potato dish with so few ingredients, and you probably already have them on hand!
  • EASY TO MAKE AHEAD OF TIME – One of the things I love about this recipe is that you can easily make it ahead of time, reheat it, and no one will know the difference! Hello, dinner party!

What is Potatoes Anna and Who Is Anna, Anyway?

Potatoes Anna, also known as pommes Anna, in its simplest terms is a potato dish made in a sauté pan, of concentric circles of thinly sliced potatoes layered upon one another and cooked in butter. They are started on the stovetop, finished in the oven, and then ultimately flipped onto a plate or cutting board displaying a crispy exterior and a soft and creamy interior.

But who is Anna?!

Well, the story goes that this famous potato dish was created by Chef Adolphe Dugléré in the mid-19th century and named for a prostitute, Anna, who spent a good deal of time entertaining wealthy and famous clientele at the famed Cafe Anglais, for which Dugléré was head chef.


A closeup side view of a cut section of potatoes Anna on a cutting board on a white background.

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this amazing potatoes Anna recipe:

An overhead view of the ingredients required to make ultimate classic potatoes Anna.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

The ingredients to make Potatoes Anna are easy to find at any grocery store.

Potatoes: Use Russet potatoes, as they are the best potatoes known for their high starch content (and don’t rinse them!), which leads to the potatoes adhering to each other and forming a nice ‘cake’ that will hold together.  Substitute Yukon Gold potatoes (waxy potatoes) if you like, but know that they are less starchy potatoes and don’t hold together quite as well.

Butter: Whole, unsalted butter is best in this recipe so that you can control the seasoning completely. Traditionally, clarified butter was used (butter cooked until the mild solids separate and can be removed to prevent burning), but I don’t find it necessary.  Please do not use margarine – both the taste and cooking properties are not the same (fake butter taste, burning, etc.). I have not tested vegan butter substitutes to know if they work effectively.

Kosher salt: Diamond Crystal kosher salt is always my cooking salt of choice for its clean taste and large flakes, which make seasoning easier because you can actually see how much salt you have used.

Black pepper: With so few ingredients, only the best will do. Use freshly ground black pepper on a fine grind setting.


Let’s Make Ultimate Classic Potatoes Anna Recipe Together: STEP BY STEP

Be sure to check out the full recipe details and ingredient list in the recipe card below.

Steps 1, 2 & 3:

First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees, peel all of the potatoes, and set them aside. DO NOT RINSE THEM. Keeping all of the starch is key to the finished dish. Second, melt the butter.

And third, using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, slice the first potato only (so that the others don’t turn brown).

A cutting board with a mandoline set up on top and bowl of peeled potatoes.
A hand with a very thinly sliced potato showing how thin to slice them.
One potato sliced on the mandoline on a cutting board.

Steps 4, 5 & 6:

Bring everything over to the stove and set up a slicing station next to where you’ll be cooking.

Next, heat up a pan over medium-low heat and add enough melted butter to cover the bottom of the pan.

A station of sliced potatoes and melted butter next to a pan heating up on the stove.
A saute pan over medium-low heat warming up to cook potatoes Anna.
An overhead view of butter melted in a saute pan.

Steps 7, 8 & 9:

Now it’s time to begin! Start with a single potato slice in the center of the pan and then layer each potato slice, overlapping the previous in a circular pattern until they cover the entire bottom of the pan. If you run out of potato slices, then slice the next potato.

The first layer of potatoes layered in a circle on the bottom of a saute pan.
A second ring of potato slices layered on the bottom of the saute pan.
The first layer of layered potatoes completed.

Steps 10, 11 & 12:

After you’ve completed the first layer, drizzle with butter or dot it using a pastry brush all over and season with salt and pepper. Then, repeat the process for a second layer. Continue doing this until all of the potatoes are gone. The potatoes will be domed in the center, but will settle as they cook.

Butter, salt, and pepper sprinkled on top the potato layer in the saute pan.
The process repeated for a second layer of potatoes in the saute pan.
All sliced potatoes layered in concentric circles completed and ready to go in the oven.

Steps 13, 14 & 15:

Turn off the heat and cover the pan with foil and transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and remove the foil. Return the pan to the oven for an additional 20 minutes. To check if the potatoes are done, pierce them with the tip of a sharp knife. If no resistance is met, they are done. If you meet some resistance, put them back in for another 5 minutes, and then check again. Let them rest for 5 minutes.

Saute pan covered with foil ready to be transferred into the oven.
Foil removed after 20 minutes of baking.
Final dish out of the oven after 40 minutes and now resting.

Steps 16 & 17:

Wearing oven mitts on both hands, place a serving plate or cutting board on top of the pan, carefully flip it over, and then lift the pan to reveal your Anna potatoes! Your potatoes should not stick at all – and your pan should look like this.

Sprinkle the top with salt and even fresh chives or parsley, if you like.

A plate placed on top of the saute pan to flip over.
The pan flipped over onto the plate and the pan lifted away to reveal the top of the potatoes Anna.
A view of the empty pan to show that nothing stuck to the pan.

Chef Natalie Marble in her home kitchen.

Natalie’s Expert Tips

  • Use a 10-inch, oven-proof skillet or pan (larger pans become cumbersome to flip at the end). Cast iron or stainless steel is the best option for ensuring a crispy and golden exterior. You can use a non-stick skillet, but the browning is typically not as good.
  • You can dot the layers with soft butter, but to make your life easier and the process of layering more time efficient, melt the butter so that you can easily drizzle it.
  • Work quickly when layering the potatoes, but also don’t panic when you see the potatoes at the edges starting to brown – this is what we want!

A cutting board with potatoes Anna cut into wedges on a white background next to a linen cloth, a server, and some chopped parsley.

Serving Suggestions


Storage & Reheating

STORAGE:
Store these potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

REHEATING:
To reheat in the oven, place the potatoes in an oven-proof pan or dish and cover with aluminum foil. Place in a 375-degree oven until warmed through. When the potatoes are warmed through, remove the foil and keep them in the oven for an additional 5 minutes to crisp up. On the stovetop, place everything into a sauté pan with a little butter and heat over medium-low heat, covered with foil, until warmed through. Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes to crisp up and dry out. And finally, you can also reheat everything in the microwave in 30 second intervals until everything is warmed through – but please note that the potatoes will no longer be crispy heating them this way.

FREEZING:
These potatoes will freeze well in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.


Frequently Asked Questions for Classic Potatoes Anna (Pommes Anna)

Yes! This is one of my favorite things about Potatoes Anna. You can absolutely make it ahead of time. You can keep it in the pan and then reheat it in the oven if you make them earlier in the day. Alternatively, if you’re making them the day ahead and don’t want to keep them in the pan, then you can remove them from the pan, transfer them to a plate and wrap them in foil. Reheat in the oven on a sheet pan part way with the foil on to heat the center, and then with the foil off to crisp up the outside.

You can, but it will no longer be Classic Potatoes Anna. If I were to add anything, I would add fresh thyme leaves in between the layers.

If you follow the recipe as it is written – add a layer of butter to the bottom of the pan and keep the heat on medium-low while layering the potatoes, your potatoes should not stick.

I hope you love this Ultimate Classic Potatoes Anna Recipe (Pommes Anna)! If you make it, be sure to leave a rating so I know how you liked it!


Recipe Card

A cutting board with potatoes Anna cut into wedges on a white background next to a linen cloth, a server, and some chopped parsley.

Ultimate Classic Potatoes Anna Recipe (Pommes Anna)

By Natalie Marble
This Ultimate Classic Potatoes Anna Recipe is a classic French dish that you absolutely need in your life! I know you're thinking that you're too busy and don't have time for fancy 'French' cooking, but I promise you this is for professionals and home cooks alike! You'll thank me later.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine French
Servings 6 servings
Calories 220 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 9 or 10-inch pan stainless steel or cast iron is preferable
  • mandoline for slicing preferable

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs Russet potatoes
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • kosher salt
  • black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Prep your workstation. If you can, set up your working area next to the stove – cutting board, mandoline (or knife). Melt the butter in a microwaveable pitcher or bowl and set aside.
  • Prep your potatoes. Peel all of the potatoes and trim the ends (the very end pieces make too small of slices). DO NOT RINSE WITH WATER (we don't want to remove the starch). Using a mandoline, thinly slice only 1 of the potatoes (slice as you go, so the potatoes don't oxidize). Aim for 1/16th of an inch – they should easily move back and forth if you wiggle them – this makes for the crispiest top and the creamiest interior. *If you do not have a mandoline, be sure to use a very sharp knife and carefully slice the potatoes as thinly as possible.  Alternatively, if you have a food processor with a very thin slicing blade, you could possibly use that, but they should be very thin.
  • Cook. Heat your pan over medium-low heat and add enough butter to generously coat the bottom of the pan. Start by placing one slice in the center of the pan, and then form a layered ring of potato slices around that center slice in a circular pattern. Continue to make layered concentric circles, to complete that first layer of potatoes, eventually extending to cover the bottom of the pan, peeling potatoes as you go.
  • Next, use a pastry brush or drizzle that first single layer with some melted butter and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  • Repeat this process until you've used up all of the potatoes, making sure to drizzle butter, salt, and pepper in between each layer. The potatoes should be domed in the center, but rest assured they will sink as they cook.
  • Turn off the heat and transfer. Cover the pan with a piece of foil and transfer it to the preheated oven to bake for 20 minutes.
  • After 20 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for another 20 minutes.
  • To check if the potatoes are done, pierce the center of the potatoes with the tip of a knife – if it easily glides in, they are done. If you meet a little resistance, give them another 5 minutes and check them again.
  • Remove and rest. Remove the pan from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes, as this makes flipping much easier.
  • Flip and serve. Place a flat serving plate (larger than the circumference of the pan) or a cutting board on top of the pan. Flip it all over at once, and lift the pan off. You should have a beautiful potato cake with a crispy caramelized top that is golden brown. Cut it into wedges and serve. ENJOY!

Notes

  • Use a 10-inch, oven-proof skillet or pan (larger pans become cumbersome to flip at the end). Cast iron or stainless steel is the best option for ensuring a crispy and golden exterior. You can use a non-stick skillet, but the browning is typically not as good.
  • You can dot the layers with soft butter, but to make your life easier and the process of layering more time efficient, melt the butter so that you can easily drizzle it.
  • Work quickly when layering the potatoes, but also don’t panic when you see the potatoes at the edges starting to brown – this is what we want!

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 3gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 9mgPotassium: 634mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 351IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg
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Chef Natalie Marble in her home kitchen.

I’m Natalie and I love to create seasonal and interesting elevated food for busy everyday real life! Dinner doesn’t have to be boring and I’m here to help. This is where busy meets delicious!

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