Sunday, January 13, 2008

Potatoes Anna


This is such an easy dish and the results are wonderful. Your friends and family will think that you worked really hard on it and if you get it out of the pan without a misstep it looks impressive too. This was one of my Christmas side dishes that would have been perfect, if I had not been in such of a hurry to get it onto a plate. It actually does not look too bad, considering half of it slid off the plate when the pan got inverted. With a few ingredients, a cast iron skillet and a mandolin, you can serve a beautiful and tasty dish.

Potatoes Anna

3/4 cups melted butter
3 lbs. baking potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pour melted butter into a 10 inch cast iron skillet to a depth of 1/4 inch.(You will use the rest as you layer the potatoes.) Set the pan over low heat and layer in sliced potatoes. Build the bottom layer with overlapping slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and melted butter. Continue this routine until you have used all the potatoes. When all the potatoes are layered and the bottom has formed a light crust, cover with foil and using the bottom of a smaller skillet firmly press to compress the potatoes. Place into oven, covered tightly with foil. (Place a baking pan on a lower rack to catch any drips.)
Bake for 20 minutes, press firmly on potatoes again, Remove foil, bake uncovered, until the sides are visibly brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes more.
To serve, loosen the sides with a knife, then carefully invert onto a plate and slice into wedges.

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