A butternut squash version of Pommes Anna.
Simple yet elegant – A butternut squash version of the classic dish: Potatoes Anna
Pommes Anna is a classic French dish that is a classic for a reason. It is the technique that makes this dish spectacular. There are only two ingredients in the classic French potato torte – potatoes and butter (a little salt, too).
I love, love LOVE butternut squash and so I wanted to do this classic dish with butternut squash – and I am so pleased with how this turned out. I even baked it in the oven and it still turned out so pretty on a platter. Try this as a Thanksgiving side this year – and you will get oooh’s and aaah’s galore, I promise!
Since squash does not have as much starch as potatoes, I decided a little cheese and flour were needed to hold the layers together. So, I tossed some Parmesan with a bit of flour to sprinkle in between the layers. This worked perfectly – and I will be making this dish again and again this fall. The only work is in the slicing – the rest is just assembling and throwing this in the oven.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH ANNA
2 medium butternut squashes
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons minced thyme leaves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Generously brush a 9 inch pie pan with half of the butter. Peel and slice the squashes into paper thin round slices, using a mandolin or a very sharp chef’s knife – the slices should be a uniform 1/8 inch thickness.
Place a layer of squash slices in the pie pan, overlapping slightly and filling the bottom of the pie pan. Toss the cheese with the flour. Sprinkle on about 1/4 of the cheese mixture and some of the thyme leaves. Repeat this process until entire pie pan is filled, ending with a layer of squash – you will have five layers of squash total. Brush the top layer with the remaining butter.
Place another pie pan on top of the last layer of squash, so that the pie plate will press down the squash as it is baking.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until squash is browned and softened. Remove top pie pan and let sit on counter for 10 minutes, or until cooled to warm.
To serve, carefully invert onto a serving platter. (NOTE: I put the whole thing under the broiler for about 2 minutes, just to add some color to the top.)
Other genius butternut creations:
Double Stuffed Butternut Squash, Taste and Tell
Spicy Butternut Squash Soup, Kalyn’s Kitchen
Butternut and Ricotta Empanadas, Everyday Southwest
Chicken Butternut Squash Stew, Cookin Canuck
Roasted Butternut Squash with Moroccan Spices, Kalyn’s Kitchen
This is a wonderful idea for thanksgiving, I am planning to try it, but we usually make our squash as a sweet side (brown sugar & cinnamon) do you think the sugar will help adhere the squash?
This is brilliant. I would want to skip the flour though. Do you think that would make much of a difference?
Kalyn – I came up with this flour/cheese mixture to “glue” the layers together so that they won’t slide around when you remove this from the skillet and when you cut and serve this. I think it will work just fine without the flour, but may slide a little more. Just be careful when plating it.