October 15, 2015 – Potatoes Anna

In This Issue:

RECIPE: Potatoes Anna
Success Tips
Experiment!
Oven-to-Table Bakeware & More
Cooking Technique: Match the Potato to the Situation

INTRO   

“Potatoes Anna (with a twist!)”

INTRO TEXT   

Today we’re sharing one of our favorite potato dishes, Potatoes Anna, only with a slight twist. We’ve added garlic and some herbal flavors for a dish that hits it out of the proverbial ballpark! Just four ingredients, assembled uniquely, make this a spectacular dish to serve and even better to eat!

MAIN BODY:

Making Potatoes Anna

Among the autumn harvest abundance are many wonderful potato varieties. And, considering the number of ways we enjoy them, the humble potato must be at the top of the “favorite root vegetable” list. There’s baked, boiled, mashed, fried, shredded, scalloped, and the list goes on! This dish is elegant, yet incredibly simple! While it makes a stunning table presentation, it’s the taste of these potatoes that will be remembered. We add a couple of twists to the classic Potatoes Anna with the addition of garlic and thyme shifting the flavor to a more autumn profile, one that holds its own when part of a hearty autumn menu.

Success Tips:
(1) Choosing the Potato - While any potato variety could be used for this dish with success, we like the waxy “gold” varieties such as Yukon Gold or Klondike Gold. The slices keep their shape nicely through baking and serving. (More on this topic below.)

(2) Reduce Browning - Cut potatoes brown when exposed to air in a natural process known as oxidation. While the standard answer to halt this process would be to submerge in a water bath, this would be inappropriate in this instance. Any residual water carried over to the assembled dish steams the potatoes and the secret to this dish is its butter-based baking. To minimize browning through oxidation, work quickly, or slice a layer at a time, butter, then slice the next layer.  (3) Indulge your OCD Tendencies – Looks aren’t everything, but if you desire a fussy moment, cut the potato slices into “potato coins,” with a round biscuit cutter or cookie cutter. If you are only mildly OCD, or in a hurry, use “potato coins” for just the top layer when serving in a dish, or just the bottom layer when inverting. (Put any potato trimmings in water and make a batch of mashed potatoes, or simply cook pieces and turn them into tomorrow morning’s hash browns.)

(4) A Do-Ahead Dish – this dish may be made in “do-ahead” style by completing the baking a day ahead of time. Cool completely. Wrap and refrigerate. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes to warm and re-crisp the edges. 

Experiment!
Traditional Potatoes Anna – Even more simple, omit the garlic and thyme, and let the potatoes and butter do work their magic together. Traditional Potatoes Anna, or Pommes Anna, is an inverted dish. Using a 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet, build the buttery layers in a similar fashion. Heat the skillet over a medium burner for 5 minutes to accelerate the cooking of the bottom and sides; this will allow a nice golden color to develop, important in the final, inverted presentation. Loosely cover the pan with a piece of aluminum foil. Continue the cooking by baking in a 400°F oven for 30-35 minutes or until the layers are easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. When done, place the serving platter on top of the skillet, invert, and serve.
[decorative phrase: serve upside down!]

Individual Presentations – Potatoes Anna are perfect for individual presentations. Made in a similar fashion of layering, use 10-ounce ramekins, small au gratin dishes, or 5-inch tart pans. Serve in the baking dish, or invert onto a small side plate.

Potatoes Rosemary – Substitute finely chopped rosemary for the thyme to present a different flavor personality. [decorative phrase: try different herbs!]

Potatoes Boursin – Build the potato layers as described, however, dot two of the inner layers with bits of your favorite herbed boursin or other soft cheese, using only about 2-3 ounces of cheese. The cheese melts and forms a sauce of sorts. A nice, delicate addition!
[decorative  phrase: add cheese!]

Oven-to-Table Bakeware

Oven-to-table bakeware used to mean clear (or maybe amber) glass rectangular dishes used to make casseroles and the like. Today, there are so many more interesting choices!

Color, size, shape, materials! Color, size, and shape options will inspire unique presentations on your table. Enameled cast iron joins classic stoneware in efficiently baking and serving in the same dish. Functionally, great improvements have been made in the thermal shock properties of bakeware; many can move from the freezer to the oven on its way to the table.

We have dozens of choices for you to choose from!

FLUTED QUICHE DISH
This is just one of many “whiteware” pieces we have that bake-and-serve complementing both the food and the table.

LE CREUSET OVAL GRATIN BAKER	
Beautiful au gratin dishes are available in many colors and sizes. Choose your favorite and try it out with Potatoes Anna.	

EMILE HENRY TARTE TATIN SET
This gorgeous stoneware set allows you to bake then invert Potatoes Anna and fruit tarts. Or simply serve from the dish.

More Tools for Making Potatoes Anna:

OXO GOOD GRIPS VEGETABLE PEELER
Peeling potatoes is easier with with a sharp, reliable peeler. Here’s our pick for best value. Keep a couple around for extra helping hands.

PROGRESSIVE HANDHELD SLICER KUHN RIKON
Make thin, even slices of vegetables in seconds. Super sharp blade makes it happen!

EASY SQUEEZE GARLIC PRESS	
Adding garlic to recipes is easy when a sturdy, durable garlic press is in your hand. This one’s highly rated!

Cooking Technique: Choose the Right Potato for the Situation

A nutritional powerhouse, a potato packs vitamin C, vitamin B6, high fiber, and more potassium than a banana. Many prefer eating potatoes with the "skin on" to preserve maximum nutritional value.

Potato classifications vary according to color, shape, new or old, and texture. Two characteristics describe texture, starch content and moisture.  Some common potato terms describe this basic structural character and point to their best use: 
Bakers - This type of potato is high in starch and often described as "dry." These characteristics produce light and fluffy baked potatoes. This type of potato will disintegrate easily when boiled making them perfect for mashed potatoes.
Boilers - Known as "waxy," this type of potato is low in starch and high in moisture. They are not really waxy, but there is a smooth character to its cooked flesh. Boilers will retain their shape when cooked.
All-Purpose - This potato type straddles the spectrum between baker and boiler by being moderate in both starch and moisture content.
New Potatoes - New potatoes are harvested early in the season, and are simply younger versions of their mature siblings. Typically no larger than 1.5 inches in diameter, new potatoes have had less time to convert their sugars into starches yielding a more waxy texture with very thin skins. The younger the potato, the greater the waxy texture.
Fingerlings - These delightful miniatures of the long white potato bring a unique shape to specialty dishes and mixed vegetable assemblies.