Boulangère Potatoes Recipe: Simple French Potato Gratin Recipe
Boulangère Potatoes Recipe – I have a confession to make: I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to perfect potato gratins. You know, those fancy, creamy, cheese-laden dishes that food magazines make look so effortless?
Boulangère Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 finely chopped Onions
- Sprigs of fresh Thyme
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1.5kg Potatoes
- 425g Vegetable Stock
Instructions
- Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
- Fry the onions and thyme sprigs in the oil until softened and lightly coloured (about 5 mins).
- Spread a layer of potatoes over the base of a 1.5-litre oiled gratin dish. Sprinkle over a few onions and continue layering, finishing with a layer of potatoes.
- Pour over the stock and bake for 50-60 mins until the potatoes are cooked and the top is golden and crisp.
Nutrition
Well, after one too many instances of potatoes swimming in a broken cream sauce (appetizing, I know), I discovered Boulangère potatoes – the laid-back French cousin that doesn’t demand perfect technique or a culinary degree.
These potatoes got their name because French home cooks would traditionally drop their potato dishes at the local baker’s (boulanger) on their way to Sunday church.
The baker would slide them into the cooling bread ovens, and voilà – by the time church was over, lunch was perfectly cooked.
I love this history because it speaks to a time when communities shared resources and home cooks were practical rather than precious. My kind of cooking.
What Makes Boulangère Potatoes Special
Unlike their fancier cousin, the potato gratin dauphinois (which demands cream and exacting technique), Boulangère potatoes rely on good stock, sweet onions, and the simple alchemy that happens when humble ingredients come together.
There’s something deeply satisfying about a dish that has no right to taste this good with so few ingredients.
The beauty here is in the restraint – just potatoes, onions, thyme, stock, and a bit of olive oil. That’s it. No cream, no cheese, no fancy techniques.
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It’s the kind of recipe that feels like it was handed down from someone’s grandmother rather than developed in a test kitchen.
The Ingredients You’ll Need
- 1.5kg potatoes (about 3.3 pounds – I like Yukon Golds for their buttery flavor, but any waxy or all-purpose potato works)
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme (dried works in a pinch, about 1 teaspoon)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 425g (about 1¾ cups) vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste (not in the original recipe but trust me, you need them)
I’m going to go ahead and advise you to be generous with the salt here. Potatoes are essentially flavor sponges, and without enough salt, this dish can fall flat.
I learned this the hard way after serving what amounted to layers of blandness to dinner guests who were too polite to reach for the salt shaker.
How to Make Boulangère Potatoes
Here’s the Boulangère Potatoes recipe you’ve been asking for, including the easy way on how to cook it:
Prepare Your Ingredients
First things first: preheat your oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 (that’s about 400°F for us Americans). While that’s heating up, thinly slice your potatoes – and when I say thin, I mean about ⅛-inch thin.
No need to break out the ruler, but uniformity helps them cook evenly.
I don’t bother peeling mine unless the skins are particularly rough. The peels add texture and, frankly, peeling potatoes falls into my category of “life is too short for this.” But you do you!
The All-Important Onion Layer
In a skillet, heat your olive oil over medium heat and add those finely chopped onions along with the thyme sprigs. Cook them until they’re soft and just starting to color – about 5 minutes.
Resist the urge to rush this part. Those gently cooked onions distributed throughout the dish are what elevates this from “sliced potatoes in broth” to something worthy of sharing.
The first time I made this, I got distracted by a phone call and my onions went from “lightly colored” to “aggressively browned.” I used them anyway and discovered that slightly caramelized onions add a wonderful depth. Happy accidents in the kitchen are the best.
The Assembly (Or: Building Your Potato Tower)
Grab a 1.5-liter gratin dish or any baking dish with sides. Give it a light coating of olive oil to prevent sticking – a step I’ve forgotten more times than I’d like to admit. Then begin the layering process:
- Start with a layer of slightly overlapping potato slices
- Sprinkle some of those lovely cooked onions over the potatoes
- Season with salt and pepper (again, not in the original but necessary)
- Repeat the layers until you’ve used all your potatoes and onions
- Make sure to finish with a layer of potatoes on top
Pour the vegetable stock over everything. It should come about three-quarters of the way up the sides of your dish. The potatoes will absorb this liquid as they cook, infusing them with flavor.
The Baking (Or: The Hardest Part Is Waiting)
Slide your dish into the preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, and the top is golden and crispy.
My apartment smells so good at this point that I’ve been known to sit in front of the oven and stare at it like it’s a television.
Let it rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving. This gives the potatoes time to absorb any remaining liquid and makes serving neater. Who am I kidding? I’ve never waited the full 10 minutes, and you probably won’t either.
Variations and Tips
While the classic recipe is pretty perfect as is, I’ve played around with a few variations:
- Add a bay leaf or two to the stock before pouring it over the potatoes for an additional aromatic note.
- Use chicken stock instead of vegetable for a richer flavor (not vegetarian, obviously).
- Finish with a sprinkle of grated Gruyère cheese in the last 15 minutes of baking if you’re feeling indulgent.
- Add a thinly sliced leek along with the onions for a more complex flavor.
As for tips:
- Make sure your potato slices are uniform thickness – this ensures even cooking.
- Don’t skimp on the seasoning. Potatoes need salt to shine.
- If the top isn’t browned enough by the time the potatoes are tender, a quick 2-minute blast under the broiler will fix that.
Serving Suggestions for Boulangère Potatoes
These potatoes are traditionally served as a side dish, and they pair beautifully with a simple roast chicken or a leg of lamb.
But honestly, I’ve been known to eat them as a main course with nothing more than a simple green salad alongside. There’s something deeply satisfying about a plate of these potatoes on a cold evening.
They also reheat beautifully the next day, perhaps even better than when first made, as the flavors have had time to meld. Just cover with foil and warm in a moderate oven until heated through, then uncover for the last few minutes to re-crisp the top.
I’ve found that these potatoes have a way of impressing people far beyond the effort they require. There’s something about the simplicity, the perfect texture – tender inside, crisp on top – and the sweet onions that makes this humble dish feel special.
It’s the culinary equivalent of that friend who somehow looks elegant in jeans and a t-shirt while the rest of us need to try much harder.
So the next time you’re tempted by a complicated potato gratin recipe that calls for precisely measuring heavy cream and carefully monitoring temperatures, remember that sometimes the simpler approach yields the most satisfying results. These Boulangère potatoes may have been born of practicality, but they’ve endured because they’re simply delicious.
