Best Pommes Byron Recipes

POMMES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Working 1 potato at a time, slice the potatoes very thin on a mandoline. (Work quickly to prevent discoloring, and don't put the potatoes in water, as this will wash off the starch.) Coat an 8-inch nonstick saute pan with olive oil, then layer the potato slices, starting in the center of the pan and making concentric circles. (Remember that eventually the bottom will become the top, so it is important for the first circles of potato to look pretty.) Brush each potato layer with olive oil, and sprinkle every second or third layer liberally with grated Parmigiano and salt. After each layer, press the potatoes so they are very compact.
• Place the pan over medium heat, and cook until the olive oil begins to sizzle and the potatoes begin to brown on the bottom. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake about 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Carefully and completely drain the excess oil out of the side of the pan (drips may cause burns). Flip the pan so the potato cake is turned out onto the bottom of the lid, then slide the potato cake off the lid and back into the pan (so the brown side is now facing up and the top becomes the bottom).
• Return the cake to the oven and bake until fork-tender, another 10 to 15 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

POMMES BYRON RECIPE - (4.4/5)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce the potatoes a couple of times. Put them on a baking sheet, and bake them in the oven for 40 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven to cool enough to handle, but use while still warm. Cut in half from pole to pole. Scoop out the flesh into a bowl, and if desired, leave ¼ inch rim of potato so you can use these potato skins for Loaded Potato Skins later. See Note. Mash the potatoes with 1 Tbsp. room temp butter and 1 egg yolk per potato; season with salt and pepper and ½ cup Gruyere cheese and ¼ cup parmesan. Mound smoothly together and cover with plastic wrap, and put into refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove from bowl, and place onto a floured surface, and using floured hands, roll into a log, slice into disks 1½ inch thick. (You may have more than 4 disks, depending on the size and number of potatoes used.) Using your hands, quickly shape into smooth disks that are flat on 2 sides, and rounded into disks. Again 1½ inch to 1¾ inches thick. On medium heat in large skillet, add 4 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Gently lower each potato disk into the skillet, being careful as they are fragile and can fall apart. Fry to a golden brown on both sides. It is recommended that you use 2 spatulas, one on each side as you gently turn them. Remove from skillet to an ovenproof platter. Wash an egg in cool water; dry; and use the large end to make a little depression in the center of each potato disk about ½ to 1 inch deep. Fill depression with creme fraiche, mascarpone, or sour cream. Then sprinkle grated Gruyere cheese over the top. Place under the broiler, watching carefully so it doesn't burn, for around 60-90 seconds. Remove, sprinkle with additional chopped chives or parsley if desired, and serve. Variations: add sliced scallions to the potatoes when mashed in Step 3; use a different cheese, like Cheddar cheese, in Step 9.

POMMES ANNA

Steps:

• Heat large knob of butter with a healthy drizzle of olive oil over medium low heat until butter melts and just starts to foam. Shut off heat under pan.
• Using a sharp and stable Japanese mandolin - or the real French metal one if you're lucky enough to have one - slice the potatoes into very thin but not paper-thin slices.
• Arrange the slices tightly, careful shingling around the pan in concentric circles starting at the outer edge of the pan and working your way into the center. Season the first layer with a little salt. Repeat with each potato until you achieve three tight and gorgeous layers.
• Turn the heat back on under the pan at medium. Drizzle the potatoes with a generous pour of olive oil and dot a few more pats of butter around the pan of potatoes. Season with salt. As the pan starts to sizzle, you will see the fat bubbling up and spitting a bit. Put a lid on the pan and seal tightly for a minute or two, giving the potatoes a little steam bath, helping to soften and cook the flesh. Remove the lid and swirl the pan with a little muscle to see if the potatoes are binding together as their starch begins to heat up. If they slip loosely all around the pan, tuck the slices back into the tight circle using a heat-proof rubber spatula and allow to sizzle and cook longer uncovered. Bump up the flame a little if the cooking sounds and looks listless - you want to hear sizzle. When you start to smell the potatoes turning golden and crisp - like the smell of toast - swirl the pan again to confirm that the potato layers have formed a cake, and then flip the pommes Anna and cook on the other side also until golden and crispy. Slide onto serving plate or cutting board, season with salt, and cut into wedges.