The Absolute Best Type Of Potatoes For Pommes Anna

No doubt about it, potatoes are an incredibly versatile food. They can be mashed, fried, boiled, oven-roasted, baked, and the list goes on. They're great on their own, and even better when incorporated into a comforting casserole. Such cozy dishes are every carb-lovers dream, whether served for breakfast like a hash brown casserole or a hearty side dish at supper like potatoes au gratin. But there's a lesser-known potato dish that you may not be as familiar with but should be — pommes Anna. 

It's a traditional French side dish of thinly sliced potatoes layered with butter and seasoned with salt, per The Kitchn. Layered in a circular pattern, the potatoes become golden brown and crispy when baked, and can be served alongside just about any kind of protein. While there are some techniques involved with layering the potatoes in this dish, you can learn how to make pommes Anna in your own kitchen with a bit of practice. Don't mistake the minimal ingredients for a breezy dish, however. Even though there are only three ingredients required, quality matters, including the type of potato you use.

When preparing pommes Anna, you'll want to grab starch-heavy Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, as recommended by The Epoch Times. While Yukon Golds tend to hold their shape well and produce tender results when baked, russets yield light and fluffy results, all of which are key characteristics of this dish. The most important thing is that you don't rinse your potatoes after slicing them. 

While rinsing spuds is a common technique to remove excess starch from potatoes before cooking them, in this case, you actually want those starches to help bind the potatoes together as the dish cooks. In addition to the variety of potatoes, uniformity is key for even baking when preparing pommes Anna, so use a mandoline to slice your potatoes into paper-thin sheets, rather than your trusty kitchen knife. If you're looking for another tasty recipe with these types of starchy tubers, try making delicious latkes that feature fried potatoes and onion.