Ditch the Fries: This Crispy, Buttery French Pommes Anna Is Better Than Any Pie
Thinly sliced potatoes layered with garlic-herb butter and baked to golden perfection — soft and melting on the inside with a shatteringly crisp crust.
When mashed, fried, or basic roasted potatoes start feeling boring, this 19th-century Parisian classic is the ultimate upgrade. Named after a French socialite, Pommes Anna turns everyday spuds into an elegant, savory cake that looks stunning on the dinner table
Ingredients: 2.6 pounds (1.2kg) of potatoes, ½ cup (1 stick / 120g) of butter, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 cup (80g) of shredded hard cheese (optional), 3–4 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried), 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.
To prep, peel the potatoes and slice them into paper-thin rounds, aiming for about 1/16-inch (2mm) thickness — a mandoline slicer works wonders here. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan or bowl and stir in the minced garlic, thyme, salt, and black pepper to create a fragrant herb butter.
Generously brush the bottom and sides of your baking dish or oven-safe skillet with some of the melted butter. Begin layering the potato slices in a circular pattern, slightly overlapping them like a rosette, brushing each completed layer with the garlic-herb butter as you go. If you are using cheese, sprinkle a little bit in the middle layers and save the rest for the very top.
Press down gently on the potato cake to compact the layers, then cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375°F (190°C) for about 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle any remaining cheese on top, and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes until the top is deeply golden and crispy. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes out of the oven to set, making it incredibly easy to slice into clean, beautiful wedges.
