3rd in a Million Ways to Prepare Potatoes

So, I watched Secrets of a Restaurant Chef with Anne Burrell a few weeks back and she prepared a potato dish called “Pommes Chef Anne”. It’s funny that this show magically appeared, as I was putting together a post about one of my favorite potato dishes: Potato Pancakes. But Chef Anne’s dish looked so good; I thought I would forgo the potato pancakes this time and try her recipe out.

I ultimately made 2 batches on separate days, but I forgot, with the first one I made, to take pictures and that gave me an excuse to make it a second time. I modified Chef Anne’s recipe on both occasions because I felt I wanted a little more flavor.

The really nice thing about this recipe is it’s between a potato pancake and an au-gratin (without all the dairy and butter). Don’t get me wrong, there is cheese-Parmesan Cheese! One of my kitchen staples. But I rarely think of Parmesan Cheese as a heavy dairy product like Cheddar and other worldly cheeses.

So following the recipe, my first go at it I layered in thin slices of onion. This was absolutely delicious, but my second round I added thin slices of garlic and onion and it made the dish even better! I topped the second version with a drizzle of Serrano cream, which was the ultimate addition to flavor.

Sorry-I did not take pics with the cream on top. I was so hungry when I made this, that I completely forgot.

Here is the Recipe Link: Pommes Chef Anne

Serrano Cream

• 3 fresh serrano chilies or jalapeños, seeded and chopped fine 
• 1 large garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt  
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Make the serrano cream:

In a blender or mini food processor blend together the chilies, the garlic paste, and the sour cream until the mixture is combined well. (Be careful not to overblend the mixture or the cream may curdle.) Force the mixture through a fine sieve set over a small bowl. The serrano cream may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and brought to room temperature before serving.