It’s no secret that chefs hold pommes boulangère in such high esteem, but it’s not as well known to home cooks – and that will hopefully change as it’s now become a fairly trendy side dish.
Pommes boulangère: a trendy but humble classic French dish
Pommes boulangère is a simple and humble French potato dish that comes from centuries ago, when the typical French peasant wouldn’t have had a range at home. They’d take their pan full of potatoes to the local boulanger (baker, from where we get the word boulangerie “bakery”) after the daily batches of bread had all been baked, letting the dish cook slowly with the residual heat of the baker’s oven.
Unlike gratin dauphinois, which is more well-known and certainly fancier (dauphin, literally “dolphin” but meaning the eldest son of the king of France), pommes boulangère a humble peasants’ dish that swaps the silky cream for stock. The result is a lighter but more savoury side, tender but a little crispy on top, that pairs perfectly with roasted meats.
What goes in a pommes boulangère?
My version of pommes boulangère is inspired by Will over at Fallow, so you’ll see that it’s a tad different from the traditional method of making a boulangère.
Surprise, surprise, pommes boulangère’s main ingredient is potato, and your choice of potato is the most important consideration for getting this dish right. The second is technique, of course, which I’ll cover below.
- Potatoes (pommes): for this dish, you want a potato that’s floury and starchy so that it absorbs as much of the stock as possible. Fallow uses Russet, but I used Agria. Other good varieties for a traditional boulangère include Maris Piper, Desirée, Cheyenne, Charlotte, and Monalisa. Slice them fairly thin, about the thickness of a poker chip, either with a mandoline or a knife and lots of patience (that’s how I did it).
- Butter: I usually recommend unsalted butter so that you can control for salt better, especially if using a bouillon cube like I do. If you use salted butter and a bouillon cube, don’t add any more salt. In this recipe, you can use clarified butter or just normal butter and keep it cloudy; it’ll scorch a little, but it lends a lot of flavour.
- Onions: a few big onions will be needed, either white or brown but I suppose red might add some nice sweetness too. Whatever the case, don’t be worried if it looks like too much onion; they’ll shrink to around half to a quarter of their size as they caramelise. To get a good caramelisation, however, you’ll want to try and slice your onions pretty consistently, about 3mm each, so that they caramelise evenly and thoroughly.
- Stock: most traditional recipes call for chicken stock, but I’ve gone with Fallow’s recommendation and used beef bouillon cubes to about 1L of water. You can opt for vegetable stock too, if you like. Real stock will always beat bouillon cubes, so use that if you have it. If using bouillon, make sure to reduce the salt used in the recipe.
- Seasonings: thyme is the most common herb in a boulangère and lends a wonderful flavour. A little salt and black pepper are lovely touches, too. Rosemary is quite good with potatoes, so I suppose you could use that if you like.
Tips & tricks to get a tender but crispy pommes boulangère
Pommes boulangère is a dish that takes a long time to bake, but it’s well worth the wait. Trying to rush things by cranking up the heat will cook the potatoes faster, sure, but past 170°C you’ll burn the butter and the top whilst the lower layers remain too tender or even undercooked.
Patience is truly a virtue, and this dish rewards patience. Remember, it was made by peasants placing their potatoes in a baker’s oven with residual heat only.
Keeping the boulangère at 120°C will take longer, but it will let the potatoes do their work and soak up the stock and butter. After about half an hour, use a potato masher to gently push down the top layer and bring up remaining stock, then repeat this every 15 minutes or so.
A cartouche isn’t necessary, but it can greatly help at trapping in the moisture for the first half hour. Going low and slow ensures that the top is crispy – not burnt – and getting a perfectly tender middle.
As for the onions, it’s the same idea: go low and slow. Caramelise them to a nice light brown colour and they’ll taste wonderful. Yes, this too will take time, but time is just what onions need to caramelise properly. You can add in a splash of water and start sautéing the onions on high for the first few minutes to get a head start, but after that you’ll have to let the onions sauté in their own water.
✅ Pro Tip: try to place every layer of potatoes neatly, overlapping one another and using the nice big pieces around the edges of the pan and saving the little bits for the middle.
Pommes Boulangère (French Baker’s Potatoes)
Description
The humble pommes boulangère, or "baker's potatoes," features tender potatoes baked in butter and beef broth, sitting atop a sweet bed of caramelised onions, and seasoned with thyme, salt, and pepper. Impress your friends and family with this recipe's technique.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Mise en Place
Dissolve bouillon cubes in 1L of warm water. Melt butter in a small roasting tin, or in the microwave for 20 seconds. Slice the onions in half and then into strips about 3mm thick. Slice the potatoes into discs with a mandoline or knife to about 4-5mm thickness. Set aside. -
Caramelising the onions
In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt a tablespoon of butter then add the sliced onions. Stir occasionally for about 30 minutes until soft and browned.
Add a splash of water and salt the onions, then sauté over high heat for the first 5 minutes to kickstart the caramelising process. -
Layering the pommes boulangère
Add a ladle of broth to the onions and spread to form a bed along the bottom of the pan. Starting from the edges and working in a circle, layer the potatoes with a little bit of overlap. Use the nicer, larger potatoes here. Fill in the middle with the smaller potatoes. Add a ladle of broth and a few tablespoons of butter. Salt and pepper to taste.
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Begin the second layer of potatoes going in the opposite direction and repeat the process. On the third layer, add half the thyme. Continue layering until all potatoes are used up, then top with thyme, keeping a pinch for later. Pour remaining broth and butter until about 1/4 of each is left, focusing on the edges of the pan.
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Baking the boulangère
Place a cartouche over the surface, then a heavy plate upside-down to keep the potatoes in place. Place in a preheated oven at 120°C (250°F) for 1 hour. Halfway through, remove from oven and flip the plate or use a fork or potato masher to gently submerge the topmost potatoes in the liquid.
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Remove from oven and remove cartouche and plate. Push down the potatoes again, or pour more broth if it's no longer covering the top. Place back in the oven at 130°C (265°F) for 25 minutes.
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Remove from oven and ensure that the topmost potatoes are crispy and the liquid has mostly evaporated. Spoon a little of the remaining broth and butter then season with remaining thyme. Place back in oven for 5 minutes.
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Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Use a spoon to portion out servings. Portions should have some crispy topping, tender inner layers, and onions from the bottom.
Note
- Storage: can be kept for 2-3 nights covered in a refrigerator. Reheat at 200°C (400°F) for 30 minutes and add a little more stock to prevent from drying out. Can be kept frozen for up to 3 months, but be aware that the potatoes will lose their lovely texture when thawed.
- Potatoes & Onions: try to be mindful of keeping your onions and potatoes sliced rather consistently. This ensures thorough cooking/caramelisation.
- Additions: you can add many ingredients to your boulangère, such as heavy cream, parmesan cheese, garlic, or sliced bacon or pancetta, but these are different (and lovely) recipes altogether.
- Pairings: this dish pairs excellently with roasted meat, such as pork or lamb, steak, and chicken.
