Sweet Potatoes Anna
Potatoes Anna captures the essence of French cuisine: Simple, beautiful and full of butter. In this classic recipe, very thinly sliced potatoes get layered inside a pan in concentric circles and are generously brushed with butter. The whole thing is baked and then flipped onto a plate for a mesmerizing casserole of epic proportions.
I don’t know who this Anna was but I do like her idea of “an appropriate amount of butter,” which is emphatically, “a lot.” She probably was also the first person to say “go big or go home” and likely struggles to manage her cholesterol levels. She’s a boss.
Butter is not meant to be consumed in moderation. Anyone who tells you otherwise is missing out and we should feel sad for them and tell them all about Anna and her awesome potatoes. Sure, sure, consume your butter occasionally, but when you do you had better be spreading that ish on bread like it’s cream cheese or melting sticks upon sticks into a recipe without abandon.
This recipe is Exhibit A of this philosophy. Nay, let’s call it a lifestyle. We’re swapping out regular spuds for sweet potatoes because it’s our autumnal duty, but we are also cranking up the butter volume big time. Sweet Potatoes Anna is an easy to pull off, make-ahead Thanksgiving “vegetable” dish that gets on the level of all that indulgent gravy, stuffing, cheese plate stuff.
All you’ll need is a mandoline (or a lot of patience to slice those potatoes THIN), a cast iron skillet, thyme, sweet potatoes and a stick and a half of butter. It will feel crazy when you’re melting all that butter, but I promise you there will be no regrets when you seamlessly flip that sucker onto a plate, revealing those perfectly arranged sweet potato medallions glistening and shimmering in the candlelight. And believe you me, when you slice into that thing and see those soft, silky layers of sweet potato and clarified butter united as one, you’ll get it. Good work, Anna. We salute you.
Ingredients (serves 8-10)
6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Fresh chives, chopped (optional)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Use a mandoline on the thinnest setting to slice the sweet potatoes in medallions. Place in a large bowl.
Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet set over medium heat. Once the butter is fully melted and foam is rising to the surface, remove from heat and pour through a mesh sieve (to clarify by removing the foam) into the sweet potato bowl. Add the thyme and a couple pinches of salt and use your hands to toss so that each medallion is coated in butter.
Starting at the outer edge of the skillet, arrange the sweet potatoes in concentric circles. Attempt to use pieces of similar sizes in each circle. Continue layering this way until all the sweet potatoes have been used up.
Place a piece of tin foil on top and place a heavy skillet that fits inside the edges of the cast iron on top of that to weigh the casserole down. Bake for 45 minutes.
Remove the tinfoil and let the dish cool for at least 15 minutes. Place a plate face down on top of the skillet, then carefully flip the pan and plate so that the casserole transfers to the plate. Eat warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with chives, if using, just before serving.