Bake the Second Part:Take off the weights and foil. Bake again until the potatoes are soft and the bottom is golden brown, about 20 more minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. For the almond cream, in a small bowl whisk the 60g butter with the icing sugar, vanilla and almond extract for 2-3 minutes until the butter turns pale, then add the remaining ingredients. Whisk well and set aside. Resting metal tip of pastry bag on edge of pot, pipe 8 (2-inch) lengths of potato mixture directly into oil (use caution when piping into hot oil), using a small knife or kitchen shears to cut off each length of dough at tip of bag. Fry potatoes, turning over once with a slotted spoon, until crisp, golden, and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly. Fry remaining potato mixture in batches in same manner. Step 9 If you’d like, skip all the trimming and merely peel the potatoes. You won’t get as nice a presentation when you unmold the cake, but if that doesn’t bother you, you will save yourself a lot of work.

The recipe calls for firm-fleshed potatoes and butter only. Potatoes are peeled and sliced very thin. The slices, salted and peppered, are layered into a pan (see below), generously doused with clarified butter, and baked until they form a cake. Then the cake is flipped every ten minutes until the outside is golden and crisp. At the end of the cooking period, the dish is unmoulded and forms a cake 15 to 20 centimetres (6 to 8in) in diameter and about five centimetres (2in) high. [1] It is then cut in wedges and served immediately on a hot plate, usually accompanying roasted meats. A combination of milk and water in the choux pastry contributes flavor and aids in browning the pommes dauphine. Pommes Anna was created in the mid-19th century by the chef Adolphe Dugléré at Café Anglais in Paris. It was most likely named after Anna Deslions, one of the café’s grandes cocottes, who is said to have entertained an international coterie of princes and other dignitaries in a private salon above the dining room. p>This is my wonderful old boy, Rama, a blue-point Siamese, who died when he was 20yrs old - excuse the old and much sellotaped photo:

Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Cover potatoes with cold salted water by 1 inch in a 2-quart pot, then simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 15 minutes. Step 2

Rimmed baking sheet It’s a good idea to place the skillet on a baking sheet before transferring it to the oven; it promotes even browning of the potatoes and catches any sizzling butter overflow. It’s telling that the dish was named for a glamorous courtesan. At that time, the potato still had a somewhat shady reputation among the French, having been considered poisonous for centuries after its introduction to Europe. It seemed delectable, yet just a little bit dangerous.

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My roommates called these fancy tater tots, but they were much more complex. Practically ethereal in their lightness, crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, these were wonderful. Not having pastry tips on hand, we used the method of just scooping some of the mixture with a spoon and scraping it off with another spoon. I think a small cookie scoop would have yielded more uniform shapes and looked nicer. I'm looking forward to making these again for a special occasion. Cover with Foil: Put a piece of foil that you’ve brushed with butter on top of the potatoes. Place a cake pan or pie plate on top of the foil and fill it with pie weights or something heavy.