Pommes AnnaLayered Potato Cake with Butter

Trim, thinly slice and dry the potatoes

• 1 Peel 1kg potatoes and trim the sides into cylinders 4–5cm in diameter.
• 2 Use a slicer to cut into rounds 2mm thick.
• 3 Rinse briefly in a bowl of water, drain in a strainer, spread on a clean towel and press from above to dry.
• 4 Meanwhile(While drying the potatoes) Preheat the oven to 210°C.

Build 5–6 circular layers with butter

• 1 Melt the remaining 70g unsalted butter in a small saucepan.
• 2 Put 30g unsalted butter in a 20cm cast-iron skillet over medium heat; turn off the heat when it colors lightly.
• 3 Immediately arrange potato rounds from the center outward in circles, overlapping each by half. Alternate the direction of overlap between rows to cover the first layer.
• 4 Sprinkle with a little of the listed salt and white pepper, drizzle with a share of the 70 g melted butter and arrange the next layer in the same way. Repeat to build 5–6 layers, sharing the 7 g salt, 0.5 g white pepper and melted butter among them and reserving a little melted butter for the top.
• 5 Pour over the remaining melted butter and press with a wooden spatula to level the surface.

Bake covered at 210°C for 30 minutes

• 1 Cover the skillet with a lid, or foil if no lid is available, and bake on the middle rack at 210°C for 30 minutes.

Uncover, bake and check the underside

• 1 Remove the lid, press the surface with a wooden spatula and bake for another 15 minutes.
• 2 Insert a skewer into the center and lift an edge slightly with an offset spatula to check the underside. If it is pale, bake in further 5-minute intervals.

Turn out, drain the butter and slice

• 1 Loosen the entire edge with an offset spatula, cover the skillet with a flat pot lid, hold both firmly with both hands and turn over in one motion.
• 2 Tilt the lid to drain excess butter back into the skillet, then slide the cake onto a warm serving plate.
• 3 Cut into 6 equal wedges.