Boulangere Potatoes

5 from 17 votes

Boulangere Potatoes, also known as Pommes Boulangère, is a French bake of thinly sliced potatoes and onions cooked in stock. It is lighter than dauphinoise and goes with almost any roast.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 35

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: French

Diet: Gluten Free, Halal

Servings: people

Calories: 260kcal

Author: Ayla Clulee

Ingredients

3 ½ tablespoon butter (extra for brushing the dish)
1 large onions (1 oz/250 grams)
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
4 medium floury potatoes such as desire, russet or maris piper (1 ½ lbs/750 grams)
1½ cup chicken, veal or vegetable stock (350 ml)
1 TSP salt
1 TSP freshly ground black pepper
3-4 sprigs thyme, oregano or rosemary (leaves only, finely chopped)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Sauté the Onions

Preheat the oven to 180° C - 356° F (fan oven).
Peel and slice the onions and garlic.
Melt half of the 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 softened and slightly golden.

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.

Build Your Dish

Brush an oven-safe baking dish (approximately 21 cm / 8 ¼" diameter) with soft butter and start building the boulangere potatoes.
Nicely 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, season them, and nicely arrange the rest of the potatoes.
Add seasoning, stock, and scatter small cubes of remaining butter on top of the potatoes.
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.

Notes

Don't wash the potatoes after slicing. They lose the starch that helps the slices stick together.
Use floury or all-rounder potatoes such as Desiree, Russet, or Maris Piper. Waxy potatoes slip apart when you serve.
Slice the potatoes evenly, ideally with a mandoline, so they cook at the same speed.
Cook the onions before layering. Raw onions stay raw in the finished dish.
Press the layers down firmly and pour in just enough stock to reach about a third of the dish.
Replace the butter with olive oil and use vegetable stock to make it vegetarian and vegan friendly.
Let the dish rest for 5 to 10 minutes after baking so the slices hold their shape.
Make ahead: bake fully, cool, then reheat covered at 180° C - 356° F for 20 minutes, plus 10 minutes uncovered to crisp the top.
Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freezing works but the texture can turn slightly grainy.
Try leeks instead of onions, or stand the slices upright in rows for a crispier top.
For a richer top, scatter grated Gruyère or Parmesan over the dish for the last 15 minutes.

Nutrition