Pommes Maxim

Can't seem to get this right. Anyone know the secret(s)?

Probably just aren't getting them thin enough dawg.

I got them plenty thin. I almost think I got them too thin. Anyway, I doubt that is the problem. I could easily read text through them.

What else?

Do you overlap them enough? I think at least 1/2 or 2/3 overlapped for the slices to stick
Is your oven hot enough?

Well how about instead of saying "can't get it right" you tell us what is actually going wrong?

What potatoes?

Using a cast iron deep skillet or dutch oven?

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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Using a cast iron deep skillet or dutch oven?

Using a silpat and an oven, dawg.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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Using a cast iron deep skillet or dutch oven?

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

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Using a silpat and an oven, dawg.

Originally Posted by gdl203

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I know the bottom is supposed to be the presentation side, but I found if you use a good cast iron skillet or dutch oven with lid, the bottom crisps up like a mo-fo and the top is left white. You put the dutch oven in the very hot oven. I've used a little foie grease for this, and it's crispy rockingness. Before you laugh at me, try it.

Used Yukon Golds. Peeled, cut off the ends, then trimmed into cylinders. Sliced on mandoline very thin, pretty close to paper, at least thick paper. I have also tried it slicing them a bit thicker, but still thinner than (say) the 1/16th that a non-adjustable V-slicer will get you. I have a fully adjustable French mandoline (because I am a big timer).

I have soaked them in water, and not soaked them, dried them on paper towels and not dried them. Not sure exactly what effect (positive or negative) those steps have or if they cancel each other out.

Tossed them in clarified butter. Laid them out on a Silpat. I laid them out like a one layer Anna. Start with one in the center. (I think this was a mistake, though not the only one). Do second ring that covers center totally, overlapping slices in ring by half. Then do third ring, with the overlap in the opposite direction (I think this third ring was also a mistake).

First try was in the oven on bake at 300. Edges browned very fast, too fast (too dark) while centers were too soft. Perhaps because of the uneven thickness (much thicker in center than at edges).

Second try, I simply turned the oven down and turned on the convection, figuring it would dry them out. Well, they didn't get quite so brown at the edges, but neither did the center crisp. They stayed floppy.

Third try: rather than circles, I laid them out in a sheet. They shrank laterally, leaving a bunch of lines rather than a string. Not enough crosswise overlap.

I think also I have used too much butter.

So, remedies include:

1) Skip the center piece (which is required for Anna but maybe not for this).
2) Do only one ring.
3) Use less butter.
4) Don't toss in butter, lay them out and then brush the tops (and only the tops) in butter.
5) Don't soak.
6) Don't try.
7) Soak but don't dry (can't see how this would work).
8) Dry but don't soak (sort of partial to this idea).

Other thoughts?

Originally Posted by Piobaire

Click to expand...

I know the bottom is supposed to be the presentation side, but I found if you use a good cast iron skillet or dutch oven with lid, the bottom crisps up like a mo-fo and the top is left white. You put the dutch oven in the very hot oven. I've used a little foie grease for this, and it's crispy rockingness.

Before you laugh at me, try it.

That sounds more like Anna than Maxim.

Originally Posted by Manton

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That sounds more like Anna than Maxim.

Sorry then, my bad. I guess I deserved Greg's derision.

Very tasty though

Get really starchy potatoes like russets or, for extra starch, fingerlings (but these won't cut correctly). The starch allows them to bind. Yukon Golds are too waxy.

Salt them to let the starch come out by letting them rest on a non-porous surface for a few minutes.

If there's no starchy residue from where they lay, the potatoes don't have enough starch or they didnt' rest long enough.

And when they're done let them cool before you play with them or the starches won't set.

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TIP: to embed Youtube clips, put only the encoded part of the Youtube URL, e.g. eBGIQ7ZuuiU between the tags. Doesn't seem too difficult according to this. Maybe the secret is the high heat. Since the potato is cut paper-thin, you can probably get away with really high heat (400-425) for a short period of time, before all the clarified butter is burnt up (and therefore the potato around the edges).