Easy Sweet Potatoes Anna
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This Sweet Potatoes Anna recipe is a delicious take on a classic French-inspired dish with historic origins. Delightfully simple, it’s a potato side dish that’s elegant, utterly irresistible and perfect to serve with beef, chicken, or fish.
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What I Love About Sweet Potatoes Anna
As a lover of all things French-inspired, from twelve years of French language study and traveling in this beautiful country to adoring French Provincial home decor, and a lover of almost every boulangerie I’ve ever visited, this dish is a favorite.
It’s simple as most French cuisine is, letting the ingredients and herbs shine.
What I love most about this twist on a classic potatoes anna is this variegated side dish’s bright and brilliant colors and the flavors the sweet potatoes bring.
It’s SO delicious. The earthy flavors are enhanced by melted butter, garlic, and fresh thyme.
And then cut into scalloped wedges beautiful enough for any occasion. Happy sigh. I think it’s one of the reasons I love this dish– it puts a smile on my face every time.
Have a beautiful day!
Origins of Potatoes Anna Recipe
Potatoes Anna, also known as Pommes Anna, is a mid-19th century dish created by Parisian chef Adolphe Dugléré at Café Anglais. It’s reputation for delicious roasted and grilled meats was legendary. It was after the arrival of chef Adolphe Dugléré that the Café Anglais achieved its highest gastronomic reputation. It was then frequented by the wealthy and the aristocracy of Paris.
The Café was closed in 1913.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Mandolin: This tool is especially helpful when thinly slicing potatoes. I’m using an Oxo Mandolin, which is my favorite (and I have several). This one is sturdy, folds down to save space, and is easy to use.
- 10-inch Ovenproof Nonstick Skillet: Be sure there are no plastic handles, as this dish bakes in a 425-degree F oven.
- A pastry brush is handy for the garlic butter layer and a garlic press is a quick way to minced garlic.
Prepping the Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes Anna is an easy dish to make. The only prep needed is in slicing the potatoes. I highly recommend using a sturdy mandolin if you have one. It makes this job so incredibly quick. That being said, you can also use a sharp knife.
It’s important that the potatoes are sliced very thinly. If you’re using a mandolin, set the gauge to 1/16-inch.
Sweet Potatoes Anna Ingredients
Here is the short list of what you need to make this twist on a classic French-inspired dish. The recipe card at the bottom of this post contains ingredient measurements.
- Potatoes: You will need a combination of russet and sweet potatoes. I like to look for potatoes with a similar diameter, and I always choose sweet potatoes with the brightest, richest orange flesh. Sometimes, they are labeled as “yams.”
- Garlic butter: This is the flavor between the potato layers and is made using melted butter, fresh thyme, minced or pressed garlic cloves, salt, and pepper.
How to Make Sweet Potatoes Anna
Full step-by-step instructions are also in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but this will give you a brief overview.
Preheat the oven to 425℉ and butter a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet. Set aside.
Make the Garlic Butter
Add butter, garlic, and thyme to a small saucepan and heat until the butter melts. Set aside.
Layer potatoes and brush with garlic butter
Create an overlapping pattern by laying one potato slice in the middle and then adding the remaining slices in concentric circles until the bottom of the pan is filled. Brush with garlic butter and season with salt and pepper. Continue layering and brushing until the pan is half full, or for about 3 layers.
Bake Sweet Potatoes Anna
Cover the skillet with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife. Let cool for 5 minutes, then run a small spatula around the edge, and gently shake the pan to loosen the potatoes from the skillet. Carefully invert potatoes onto a serving plate and cut into wedges to serve.
What to Serve with Potatoes Anna
- Zupan’s Porchetta Pork Tenderloin
- Easy Honey Baked Ham Recipe
- Sheet Pan Baked Fish with Vegetables
- Abraham Lincoln’s Chicken Fricassee Recipe
- Homestyle and Pan-Seared German Chicken Schnitzel
Making Ahead Sweet Potatoes Anna
This easy dish is easy to make ahead by baking the potatoes anna as directed. Let them cool and then cover and refrigerate. To reheat the dish, cover and bake in a 350-degree F oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5 minutes. Then, invert the dish onto a serving platter.
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Sweet Potatoes Anna
Equipment
- Mandolin (optional but very helpful)
Ingredients
- 1 lb russet potatoes peeled and sliced to 1/16-inch thickness
- 1 lb sweet potatoes peeled and sliced to 1/16-inch thickness
- 5 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 2 garlic cloves minced or pressed
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉. Add butter, garlic, and thyme to a small saucepan and heat until the butter melts. Set aside. If needed, reheat the butter as you work with the potato layers.
- Butter a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet generously. Set aside.
- I like to peel one russet and one sweet potato at a time as it helps the russet potatoes retain their color instead of turning brown. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, thinly sliced the potatoes. Lay the first potato slice in the center of the prepared skillet. This is optional but I think it's pretty to lay a sprig of fresh thyme under the first slice. Create a pattern by laying the remaining potato slices (both russet and sweet potato) around the pan, slightly overlapping, until the pan is filled with the first layer.
- Using a pastry brush, gently brush the first layer with melted garlic butter, season with salt and pepper, and a sprinkle of fresh thyme.
- Repeat the potato and butter layering two more times (for a total of 3 layers) or until the skillet is filled halfway up.
- Cover the skillet with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Run a small heat-proof spatula around the edge of the potatoes and gently shake the pan to loosen the potatoes from the skillet. Carefully invert potatoes onto a serving plate and cut into wedges to serve.
Video
Notes
- Making Ahead: This easy dish can be made ahead by baking the potatoes anna ahead. Let them cool and then cover and refrigerate. To reheat the dish, cover and bake in a 350-degree F oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5 minutes. Then, invert the dish onto a serving plate.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.