Potato Boulangere

Potato Boulangere (or Pommes Boulangere) is a French potato & onion bake that is very easy to make and a lighter alternative to Potatoes au Gratin -Dauphinoise Potatoes.

It complements perfectly most meat, chicken, or fish dishes, especially succulent roast lamb.

This rustic French dish Boulangere Potatoes is made of thinly sliced potatoes, sautéed onions, garlic, and butter.

It is then covered in homemade stock and baked in the oven for a soft buttery potato inside, with a little crunch on the top.

If you love French food, you might want to have a look at my other delicious French recipes such as Traditional French Onion Soup, Ratatouille Nicoise, Chicken Liver Parfait - Pate, and Mousse au Chocolat - French Chocolate Mousse.

Origins of Potato Boulangere

The French name for Potato Boulangere - Pommes Boulangere translates to "potatoes from the bakers," which refers to the origins of the dish.

In rural areas where people did not have their own ovens, the dish was traditionally cooked by bakers.

The tradition was taking a casserole of potatoes to the local baker at the end of the day to cook the dish in the baker's cooling oven overnight.

It is very similar to a tradition in Turkey of cooking a ceremonial dish called "Keşkek". This tradition is still ongoing in some rural areas.

Why This Recipe Works?

• Potato Boulangere complements most grilled or roasted meat & fish dishes.

• It is a great alternative to potato dauphinoise or Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes when you need something healthier and lighter. It has only 185 kcal per portion!

• This Pommes Boulangere recipe is straightforward to make with step-by-step pictures and instructions.

• You only need a few basic fridge ingredients that you might already have in hand.

• Potato Boulangere is the perfect side dish for special occasions such as Easter and Christmas as well as for a Sunday roast.

Ingredients You'll Need

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

Best Potatoes for Potato Boulangere Recipe

Allrounder or floury potatoes such as desire, russet, or Maris piper are perfect for this dish.

They take on a rich golden color when they bake and taste very rich in flavor.

The potato & onion bake would slip and slide apart when you serve if you use waxy potatoes.

• Garlic - Use fresh garlic or omit it if you don't have any. You can turn it into a paste with a mortar and pestle or grate it with a Microplane.

• Butter - A good quality salted or unsalted butter is perfect for this dish but you can use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the vegetarian/vegan version.

• Stock - For the best results, you should use Easy Homemade Chicken Stock. However, if you want to make this dish vegetarian/vegan friendly, you can use Basic Homemade Vegetable Stock. You can also use good quality store-bought stock or stock cubes. Just make sure you check the saltiness of the stock you are using before adding any seasoning to your dish.

Step-by-Step Instructions

This rustic French potato dish is very easy to make with a little preparation.

To achieve the best results, you need to follow a few tips and simple steps:

Sauté the Onions

Preheat the oven to 180° C - 360° F (fan oven). Peel and slice the onions and garlic.

Melt 25 grams of butter in a pan and gently saute the onions along with the garlic and thyme on medium to low heat.

This should take around 15 minutes until they are soft and slightly golden.

Although some of the Pommes Boulangere recipes layer raw onions, cooking them in advance is necessary.

When you layer raw onions between the potatoes, they don't always have enough time to fully cook.

Slice the Potatoes

While sautéing the onions, peel and slice the potatoes.

Use a mandolin or the slicer attachment on your food processor to slice the potatoes.

You can cut by hand using a sharp knife if you have enough time and patience.

Don't wash your potatoes after slicing them as they would lose the starch necessary to thicken the stock.

Build Your Dish

Once you have sliced your potatoes, brush an oven-safe baking dish (approximately 21 cm / 8.25" diameter) with soft butter and start building the boulangere potatoes.

Arrange about ⅓ of the potatoes on the bottom of the dish and sprinkle on half of the onions.

Season with salt and pepper then arrange another ⅓ of the potatoes.

Sprinkle the rest of the onions, and add more seasoning.

Nicely arrange the rest of the potatoes and scatter small cubes of 25 grams of butter on top of the potatoes and pour over the Chicken Stock. 

Add just enough to reach about a third of the depth of the dish.

It will bubble up as the potatoes cook and slowly be absorbed.

Cover the dish with a lid or tin foil and cook in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Remove the lid or tin foil and cook for another 30 minutes until the stock is absorbed by the potatoes and the top layer is crisp.

Top Tips From the Chef

• Don't wash the potatoes after slicing as they will lose their starch and they won't stick together.

• Replace butter with olive oil and use vegetable stock to make this delicious potato bake vegan-friendly.

• Allrounder or floury potatoes are perfect for this Pommes Boulangere dish. The potato & onion bake would slip and slide apart when you serve if you use waxy potatoes.

Serving Suggestions

This healthy yet delicious potato side dish is the perfect accompaniment to roast meat or chicken dishes such as Rice Stuffed Chicken, Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder, and Dutch Oven Roast Chicken.

They are the perfect alternative to Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes when you need something different.

They go also well with richer dishes like Aubergine Meatball Wraps (Islim Kebabi), Turkish Moussaka, or Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon.

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For other great potato dishes why not try:

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

I hope you enjoy the process of making this light and delicious potato & onion bake as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂 

Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

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