Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Hi Lisa - In pommes Anna and in the Hasselback recipe the potato slices will be exposed to air for enough time that they discolour or start to. This discoloration differs for various types but reports tend to list Russets as they most susceptible and Yukons the least. Rinsing reduces the amount of starch that cutting frees up as the knife destroys the cell structures.

Drying is essential for crispness when frying (it also reduces flare-ups) and slices that are rinsed and dried are reported in numerous sites as more crispy (as opposed to simply drying slices and then frying). However, I was unable to find any scientific research on this. Nevertheless, old recipes often mention this technique and I am giving credence to these older ones purely on the subjective basis that they wrote up what worked.

Last, my experience taught me that handling washed & dried slices was MUCH easier when making pommes Anna. I use the CI recipe (Nov./Dec, 2000) and it emphasizes how quickly you must work to make this a successful dish. Handling the gummy slices is very awkward and frustrating – something I don’t like around hot pans and hot oil.

I’m using that experience to speculate about the Hasselback recipe.

I like the traditional French bistro potato gratin. Rub gratin dish with garlic. Slice russets very thin on a mandoline. Layer in dish with crème fraîche (or heavy cream) guyere, and a sprinkling of nutmeg. I'll typically do a couple of potato layers, then a thin layer of the crème fraîche/cream, gruyere and nutmeg. Repeat, until you run out. End with layer of cheese. Bake.

Yum.

And, I don't rinse my potatoes for this. No need. It's not like Pommes Anna.

Amy

That's how I make them, Amy. Learned it from my French neighbor years ago. She used cream and didn't use nutmeg (which I really don't like) and a sprinkle of Parmesan in the bottom and on the top. So good!

fitzie

How could anything with those ingredients be 'bad'. We are being especially indulgent this season and I've just added those to the list!! THANKS!

Wino, thanks!

--Lisa

I made the Serious Eats Hassleback Gratin from this thread for dinner last night. I made a couple of substitutions - I swapped the comte for fontina (which I already had) and greased the pan with duck fat instead of butter. I also used yukon gold instead of russets (again, I already had them) and added a scant teaspoon of flour to make sure that I had enough starch to thicken the sauce.

With just over 2.25 pounds of potatoes, I ended up with enough slices for a small round corningware dish (1.5 qt) of potatoes - no where near the size of the baking dish shown in the article. I would think you would need 4 pounds of potatoes to fill a dish that size.

This was a perfect amount for four people - we had about one serving spoon full left at the end of the meal. It was a big hit - everyone loved them and we will definitely make them again.

--Lisa

Sounds soooo good! Ima going to have to try that recipe...
Nancy

All,

I ended up doing mixed potato gratin (yukons, red potatoes, purple potatoes, carrots and turnips) with roasted garlic and thyme bechamel and Mt. Mazama cheese (it's local). It was a big hit, but I'm glad I started early because it took over 1/2 hour longer than I expected.

I do recommend throwing a few purple potatoes into your gratins if you can get them; the color is quite dramatic.

Pics later, when I have better internet ...

I like the weeknight version from CI. We also like the CI potato casserole with bacon and caramelized onions, very beefy tasting.