Today, we’re featuring a rustic flavorful and healthy French side dish that goes very well with any white meat but also marries well with a good steak or lamb.   The potatoes boulangere side dish can be seen as a healthy variation on the classic French gratin Dauphinois since potatoes are also slowly baked in the oven but it holds its own place in French cooking.   “Boulangère” in French means the Baker’s wife so pommes de terre à la boulangère literally means potatoes the way the baker’s wife makes them.   But in reality it refers to a cooking technique that was used frequently in the old days to cook meat (pork roast, lamb, etc).  The meat would be braised in the oven, typically slowly baked in a wood burning oven, with potatoes around it.

Potatoes Boulangere (Pommes de Terre à la Boulangère)

 Potatoes at the Farmers Market, France

Today, when you just make the potatoes, it is still called in France “à la Boulangère“.  So check our detailed Art of the Home recipe for some delicious potatoes boulangere and Art of the Home suggestions below.  Enjoy and bon appétit!

Potatoes Boulangere (Pommes de Terre à la Boulangère)

Potatoes Boulangere (Pommes de Terre à la Boulangère)

by Art of the Home

Ingredients (for 6 servings)

• About 2 lbs of potatoes (e.g. yukon gold potatoes)
• 2 cups of  broth (beef, chicken)
• 2 grated garlic cloves
• 1 sliced onions
• 2 Tbsp of butter or olive oil
• 4-6 Sprigs of thyme
• 2 Bay leaves
• Salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
2. Rub bottom of oven proof casserole dish with grated garlic cloves.  Cover the bottom of your baking dish with 1 Tbsp of olive oil.
3. Prepare 2 cup of broth.  We use homemade broth if we have any or make our broth with a base but you can also use a store bought broth or a bouillon cube – whatever you have handy.
4. Peel and slice potatoes in very thin slices.  We use the KitchenAid attachment, but you can also use a mandoline or slice them by hand.   You can slice them right into your baking dish to speed things up and minimize clean up.
5. Slice 1 onion.  Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 1-2 good pinches of salt and 3 turn of peppers mill.  Toss.  Add in the broth.  Put 3-4 thyme sprigs in the broth and a couple of bay leaves.
6. Bake for 1.5 hours.  The potatoes will be golden brown.
7. Let rest for 10 minutes or so and enjoy — the potatoes will simply melt in your mouth!

Art of the Home Suggestions:

1. Excellent light side dish (1/2 to 1 cup portion) with lamb or a moist pork roast.
2. For cholesterol management diet: choose olive oil instead of butter.  Also works well for anybody on a gluten free diet (provided you use homemade broth or gluten free store bought broth).