Pommes de Terre Anna (Potatoes Anna)

To download a copy of the recipe for Pommes de Terre Anna, click HERE.

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This is my version of Pommes Anna, a classic French dish from the time of Napoleon, normally consisting of a layered cake of thin-sliced potatoes that’s covered with butter and baked till it’s crisp outside and tender inside. History is not clear about who Anna was, nor whether she should have felt complimented that an enamored French chef saw her and thought of potatoes covered with butter. For many of us, though, the most enduring mystery surrounding Pommes Anna is why the French chef – who, presumably, spoke French – gave it that name in the first place, since pommes refers to apples. Potatoes are “pommes de terre.” This title of this recipe has been adjusted accordingly.

Those pressing issues notwithstanding, this is an easy, yet classy, recipe that is made entirely of ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

Some Cook’s Notes before we begin:

• Garlic-infused olive oil is easy to make, but it must be prepared with care. Garlic grows directly in soil, which has naturally-occurring bacteria that can cause botulism. These bacteria are anaerobic, meaning that they thrive in oxygen-deprived environments (such as olive oil). The procedure described in this recipe is based in part on Emeril Lagasse’s “Garlic Infused Oil and Dipping Sauce.”

• Credit to Chef Anne Burrell for proving that olive oil works as well as butter in this dish.

• When serving, consider cutting the slices yourself. At a buffet-style meal, I recently discovered that people unfamiliar with Pommes Anna tended to scoop up the top few layers and leave the layers below for the next person. That’s fine for potatoes au gratin, in which all the layers are the same, but not for this recipe, in which some layers have ingredients the others don’t. (Since potatoes put through a mandolin can look a bit like apples put through a mandolin, you may also find yourself having to explain the pommes vs. pommes de terre thing too.)

This recipe makes an 8”x 8” baking dish of potatoes, about 4 – 6 side dish servings. (If you prefer, a 9" pie pan would work very well too.)

First we’ll prepare the garlic infused olive oil.

Cut four garlic cloves into thin slices.

In a small saucepan over low heat, warm ½ cup olive oil to around 200 degrees.

Add the sliced garlic to the oil and cook until fragrant. (This should only take a few minutes.) Be careful to avoid burning the garlic.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool. Once cool, set the oil aside for about an hour, then strain into a sterile jar. Discard the cooked garlic.

Now we’ll work on our potatoes. They need to be sliced thin; a mandolin is recommended.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Grate 1 cup of parmesan cheese.

Lightly coat an 8”x 8” baking dish with some of the olive oil.

Rinse and dry 2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes. Working one potato at a time, and working quickly to prevent oxidizing of the potatoes, slice the potatoes to about 1/8” thick in a mandolin.

Pat the potato slices dry with paper towels, and place one of the slices in the center of the baking dish.

Working around the first potato slice, arrange the next slices in an overlapping pattern.

Repeat with the next potato slices, working around the edge in an overlapping pattern. (Be careful when arranging the slices. Since the finished dish will be turned upside-down for serving, this bottom layer will eventually be the top, so it should be done very neatly.)

Brush this layer lightly with some of the olive oil.

Repeat for the second and third layers of potato slices, pressing down gently on each layer as it is completed to compress it. After the third layer has been brushed with oil, season with salt, pepper, ½ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp dried rosemary, and half of the parmesan.

Repeat the above for the remaining potatoes until all have been used.

To bake the potatoes:

Cover the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

While the potatoes are baking, prepare a baking sheet lined with foil or a silicon baking sheet. If using foil, lightly brush the foil with some of the olive oil.

Uncover the baking dish and run a knife around the edge to prevent sticking.

Place the baking sheet on top of the baking dish.

  

Turn them over together to invert the potato cake onto the baking sheet.

Leaving the potato cake uncovered, bake until browned and crisp on the outside, about another 30 minutes.

Slice and serve warm or hot.

To download a copy of the recipe for Pommes de Terre Anna, click HERE.

Whether you decide to call it Potatoes Anna, Pommes Anna, Pommes de Terre Anna, or anything else, this is a delicious and classy side dish that’s surprisingly easy to make. Enjoy!

Hope you return next week for another great recipe! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food , and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)

Zuppa di Pollo alla Cacciatora (Chicken Cacciatore Soup)

To download a copy of the recipe for Zuppa di Pollo alla Cacciatora (Chicken Cacciatore Soup), click HERE.

 

One of my favorite approaches to creating new recipes is to break a standard dish down into its basic parts, and then re-imagine how those parts could be combined. In recent weeks we’ve gotten to present dishes like Zuppa alla Pizziola (“Pizza Soup”) and Chicken Piccata Ravioli in this way. This week, we’re transforming a classic chicken cacciatore into Zuppa di Pollo alla Cacciatora (literally, Chicken Cacciatore Soup).

Pollo alla Cacciatora, the proper Italian name for chicken cacciatore, translates literally into “chicken, hunter style.” The chicken is braised in onions, mushrooms, peppers, wine, and other things one might associate with a hearty meal prepared by a hunter returning with his game. In fact, the only part of Chicken Cacciatore that doesn’t seem to fit the hunting picture is the chicken, but there’s a likely explanation for that. The earliest “alla cacciatora” meat was not chicken at all, but rabbit. For the general population, of course, chickens are a lot easier to find than rabbits, are a lot cheaper to buy, and, let’s be honest, aren’t nearly as cute. Those three elements combine into an undocumented but pretty plausible explanation of how, when it comes to cacciatore, chickens ended up taking the fall for rabbits.

In the photo above, the soup is shown with easy to make herbed beer batter breadsticks. You’ll find the recipe at Herbed BeerBreadsticks/Rolls. 

This recipe makes about 6 large servings.                  

The first step is to brown our chicken.

Dry 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds of chicken cutlets with paper towels. Brush both sides with olive oil.

Season both sides with salt, pepper and dried thyme.

In a pan or heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat, add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides. (If necessary, work in batches or, to save time, cook the chicken in two pans at the same time, which is what I did in the photos.)

While the chicken is browning, prepare 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 diced green bell pepper, 1 diced red bell pepper, and 1 diced medium onion.

Transfer the chicken to a dish, cover with foil and set aside.

Next, we’ll prepare the soup, which is similar to a traditional cacciatore sauce except that, for soup purposes, it is reinforced with a little more tomato. (Nut much more, though; we want chicken cacciatore’s signature taste, not simply a tomato soup with chicken and vegetables.)

Reduce the heat under the soup pot to medium. Putting in a little more oil only if necessary, warm the garlic till aromatic (about 30 seconds) and add the green pepper, red pepper, and onion. Cover the pot and let cook till the vegetables are a little soft, about five minutes.

Uncover the pot and add 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are cooked through, scraping the browned chicken bits from the pan into the mixture..

Add 1-1/2 cups of dry white wine (Chardonnay or similar) and continue to cook uncovered until reduced by half.

Add two 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes (including juice); 1 cup of tomato juice; 1-1/2 cups of low fat, low sodium chicken broth; ½ Tbsp dried rosemary; ½ Tbsp dried basil; 1 bay leaf, and a few dashes of hot sauce. Cover and increase the heat till boiling, then reduce the heat to a simmer. With the cover on, let the mixture cook for about another 10 minutes.

While the liquid is cooking, put the browned chicken into ½” pieces.

Add the chicken to the liquid mixture, cover, and simmer till cooked through, about another 20 minutes.

Garnish with grated parmesan and serve hot with fresh bread and a salad!

To download a copy of the recipe for Zuppa di Pollo alla Cacciatora (Chicken Cacciatore Soup), click HERE.

 

And there you have it: fresh, delicious soup that’s a little familiar, a little unusual, and easy to make!

Visit again next week for another easy, flavorful recipe. Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)

Lump Crabmeat Hash with Lemon-Sage Aioli

To download a copy of the recipe for Crabmeat Hash with Lemon-Sage Aioli, click HERE.

Hash, that great comfort food, has been the subject of a previous post here as Turkey Hash Pie. This week we’re taking hash in a completely different, and no less delicious, direction. Imagine lump crab meat and crisp potatoes combined with sautéed vegetables and just a kiss of bacon, topped with a cooked egg (a hash tradition), and dressed with a lemon-sage aioli. It’s easy, full of great taste, and - just as important - allows plenty of room for you to customize the ingredients to your liking!

Some Cook’s Notes before we begin:

• In this recipe, I’ve used a good quality canned lump crab meat. Cooking fresh crab is never wrong, and can even be downright glorious, but it's not practical to do at all times and in every place.

• For the aioli – basically, garlic-infused mayonnaise – you can make your own mayonnaise base if you like, but I went with a prepared jar of low-fat mayonnaise. (After making marshmallow cream from scratch for a cake frosting in last week’s post, I thought we deserved to use something in a jar this week.)

• The traditional egg accompaniment is usually sunny side up or poached, but make whatever kind you like; it’s your hash, after all. (I make mine sunny-side up as in the photo at the top, but make similar portions for my wife and son topped with scrambled eggs.) In cooking, as in all things, an important lesson about doing things “by-the-book” is this: Do you know who wrote “the book?” Nobody.

•  A special thanks to loyal reader (and good friend) Kim, a great cook and life-long New Englander, for helping a north Jersey guy with valuable insights into seasoning crabmeat.

This recipe makes 4 servings.

Let’s start by making the aioli.

Chop two garlic cloves. Use the flat of the knife blade to press them into a paste.

Combine the garlic paste in a bowl with ½ cup low fat mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon dried sage; 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice; and kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste.

Whisk until smooth, then cover and set aside till ready to serve.

To get the potatoes started:

Par-bake 2 pounds of russet potatoes for about 1/3 the amount of time it would take to bake them fully (approximately 4-5 minutes in a microwave, or 15-20 minutes in a 425 degree oven). When the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, peel and cut into 1/2" cubes.

Prepare the vegetables as follows:

Cut ¾ of a green bell pepper into a ½” dice. Cut the remainder into a fine dice and place in a small dish, separate from the larger dice. Do the same for a red bell pepper. Cut ¾ of a large celery rib into 1/8” slices. Cut the remainder into a fine dice and add to the fine-diced peppers.

Cut a medium onion into a ½” dice.

To cook the hash:

Heat 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the potatoes, season with a little salt, and cook for several minutes until the potatoes are browned and crisp. Set the cooked potatoes aside in a bowl.

Using the same pan over medium-high heat, cook 2 ounces of turkey bacon, chop into pieces, and add to the potatoes.

Adding a little oil to the pan only if necessary, cook 2 cloves of minced garlic till aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the ½” diced peppers, the 1/8” celery slices, the onion, ¾ cup of corn kernels and 1 bay leaf. Sauté till cooked. Add the potatoes, bacon, crab meat, 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp dried tarragon, and ¾ tsp hot sauce. Cook till heated through, about two minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

Divide the half into four portions and keep them warm (such as in a warm oven) while you prepare the eggs.

Next we’ll cook our eggs. Cook them any way that is desired. Sunny side up, prepared as follows, is frequently used. Cook one egg for each serving.

In a non-stick pan over medium heat, melt just enough butter substitute to coat the pan. The pan should be large enough for the number of eggs being cooked, or work in batches. Break the eggs into the pan, being careful not to break the yolks.

Immediately reduce the heat to low. (If firmer whites are desired, add ½ tsp of water per egg to the pan and cover with a lid or plate. For looser whites, don’t add the water and keep the pan uncovered.) Cook slowly, usually 2 – 3 minutes, until the whites have set and the yolks have started to thicken. (The doneness of the yolks can be checked by gently shaking the pan and seeing how the yolks move.)

Near the end of cooking, baste the eggs with melted butter substitute.

Season with salt and pepper after the eggs have finished cooking.

To serve:

Using a spatula, top each serving of hash with one of the eggs.

Garnish each serving with the fine diced green pepper, red pepper and celery.

Top with lemon aioli for serving.

To download a copy of the recipe for Crabmeat Hash with Lemon-Sage Aioli, click HERE.

Serve as is or with a favorite side dish, and you’re all set for a great meal your family and guests will love!

Visit us again next week for more tasty meal ideas! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)