Beets 'Anna' (Pommes Anna)

[G-rat]

Hey everyone I have been lurking here for about 4 months and have really benefited from the wealth of knowledge here. Some friends and I are putting on an Easter dinner and Pommes Anna have been on my mind. I just kept seeing them mentioned on here, on other websites on TV and it got me thinking...what other vegetables have a high enough starch content and I guess similar cellular structure to attempt this preparation with. I was thinking about doing Beets Anna and scenting the clarified butter with thyme and coriander, serving it with creme fraiche whipped with goat cheese and making a bacon and pea puree to do the sides of everyones plate...but before I get ahead of myself...is there even enough starch in a beet to attempt this? I haven't tested it yet and wondered what some of your thoughts would be.

[Bella S.F.]

I am interested in hearing the answers. Really like beets with goat as well as bleu cheeses. Been into beet Napoleans lately. Beets Anna? Why not?

[MartinH]

A similar thought occurred to me a few weeks ago. The upshot was I made a "Mixed Anna" with layers of sliced turnip, butternut squash, and with potato at the top and bottom. It held together OK if you handled it with care. The thinking behind having the potato at top and bottom was that nothing browns quite as well as a spud. Haven't tried beets though.

[jk1002]

In one of the Keller books he is sprinkling corn starch over the potato slices for pommes maxim so that they hold better. You could give that a whirl for your beats ...

[G-rat]

Ohh man sweet idea, jk1002. I hadn't even thought of that.

Martin I was beginning to lean towards a layering of sorts (potato then beet, potato then beet, or like you say sandwich it all together.

Thanks for the help with this

[JAZ]

Martin I was beginning to lean towards a layering of sorts (potato then beet, potato then beet, or like you say sandwich it all together.

Once cut, red beets "bleed" their color amazingly, so I doubt you'll get any visible layers; everything will be deep pink. If you want visible layers, you should probably choose yellow beets.

[G-rat]

JAZ -

I was thinking this would be my biggest hurdle aesthetically. Structurally I was thinking about going this direction to maximize the starch seeing as the yukon golds will have way more than the beets (at least it seems this would be the case in my research up to this point). But, you're right, it might not look very pretty.

[andiesenji]

I've made a similar dish with celery root layered with purple potatoes.

I got the idea from watching one of the PBS food shows showing a Peruvian woman making a similar dish, although she used yuca (or yucca) instead of celeriac and the translator noted this is a dish that goes back hundreds, if not thousands of years.

I made what is supposed to be a Peruvian cheese/chile sauce to serve over the dish at table.

Ordinarily I would have added it to the dish prior to cooking but wasn't sure what the traditional method would have been.