Boulangère Potatoes (French Onion Potato Bake)

If you are looking for a great change to your typical potato side dishes, this amazing casserole-type potato dish is for you! Boulangère Potatoes, also known as Pommes Boulangère, are made with simple everyday ingredients and require no special equipment, but are definitely flavoursome and elegant enough even for the most special of occasions. 

What is more, this French Onion Potato Bake is extremely versatile, making it a perfect accompaniment for a range of meats, poultry and vegetarian recipes. 

Jump to:

• Why You Will Love These French Potatoes?
• Ingredients and Variations
• Best Potatoes For Pommes Boulangere
• Method
• But What Are Boulangere Potatoes?
• Reader Review
• Simple Tips & Tricks
• What To Serve With Boulangere Potatoes?
• Storage and Reheating
• Other Delicious Potato Side Dishes
• Boulangère Potatoes (French Onion Potato Bake)

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Why You Will Love These French Potatoes?

If you love French potato dishes, like Pommes Anna and Dauphinoise Potatoes, this bake will be a great alternative. There are so many reasons to love it:

• No special equipment is needed. Whilst you can use a slicer attachment on your food processor, or a mandolin to slice the potatoes, a sharp knife and a cutting board will do just fine. You will also need a large frying pan and an ovenproof dish.
• You can easily play around to find your perfect flavours by varying the type of stock you use, herbs and cheese.
• Potatoes Boulangere is a perfect side dish for many different meat, poultry and vegetarian mains. We particularly like them with French Pork Tenderloin With Dijon Mustard Marinade, but also try it with Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder, Braising Steak or Vegetarian Nut Roast. 
• This traditional French dish is made with just 6 main ingredients that most of you will have in your cupboards already!
• Easily made gluten-free (check that your stock is GF) or dairy-free (use plant-based butter and cheese) to cater for different dietary requirements.
• Perfect for any special occasion, including Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving table!

Ingredients and Variations

Six simple ingredients (plus seasoning) and you will have a French potato side dish like no other. Here's what you will need:

• potatoes: white starchy potatoes work best in this recipe. Read more about the types of potatoes best for this bake in the section below.
• butter: salted or unsalted - you choose!
• brown onions: 1 large or 2 smaller ones. You may substitute it with white onion or shallots.
• fresh rosemary: can be replaced with fresh thyme sprigs or sage leaves.
• vegetable stock: can be replaced with chicken stock.
• parmesan cheese: you may use Padana Grano, Pecorino Romano, Gruyere or other hard or semi-hard cheese. Even sharp cheddar will work well too!
• seasoning: salt and black pepper.

Find the quantities, full method and nutritional information in the printable recipe card below.

Best Potatoes For Pommes Boulangere

This classic French dish is best made with floury potatoes, which have high starch content (as opposed to waxy potatoes).

Similarly to Dauphinoise potatoes and Lyonnaise potatoes, layers of potatoes need to cook through in the oven, and, therefore, you don't want a firm variety of potatoes that will take a long time to cook. For this reason, we recommend the following potato types:

• Maris Piper
• King Edward
• Desiree
• Russet
• British Red Potatoes
• Idaho® Yukon Gold Potatoes

These tried and tested potato types will make the best potato au gratin dishes, including potatoes boulangère. On the other hand, if you have waxier baby potatoes, try our Balsamic Roast Potatoes With Rosemary.

For more potato-centred dishes, head straight to our dedicated article for Christmas Potato Dishes. 

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C Fan. Lightly grease an ovenproof dish with a little butter or olive oil (we used 21x21cm ceramic dish). 

Prepare the stock and set it aside (no need to keep it hot).

Cut the potatoes into thin slices (about 3mm thick).

Melt the butter in a large frying pan on low heat. Add the sliced raw onions and finely chopped rosemary to the melted butter. Stirring occasionally, sautee the onions for 7-8 minutes over medium heat, until soft, but not browned.

Place a single layer of potatoes (slightly overlapping) to the base of the greased ovenproof dish. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Add a layer of onions on top.

Repeat with the layers again and again, and finish with a layer of potatoes.

Place a layer of sliced potatoes on the bottom of the baking dish, season with salt and black pepper, and then follow with a layer of the remaining onion mixture.

Pour the vegetable stock over the layered potatoes. Scatter the grated parmesan on top of your potato casserole. 

Place the potatoes in the oven for 55-60 minutes. Potato slices should be soft and the top layer golden brown.

Bon appétit! 

But What Are Boulangere Potatoes?

Boulangère potatoes, also known as potato and onion bake or gratin, is a classic French dish that dates back to the 19th century. The name "Boulangère" refers to the baker's wife, as this dish was traditionally cooked in the baker's oven while the bread was baking. However, this delicious potato dish can easily be made in your own ovens (no need to run to the local baker).

The simple yet delicious recipe consists of thinly sliced potatoes and onions, layered in a dish with garlic, herbs, and sometimes cheese, before being baked in the oven until golden and crispy on top. This comforting and hearty dish is still popular in French cuisine and is often served with roast chicken or beef.

Simple Tips & Tricks

• Choose high-quality flavorful stock (homemade is always best), but if you're using a stock cube, make sure to follow the instructions on the packaging to ensure enough seasoning is added to this potato onion bake.
• Your sliced potatoes need to be thin. As we are cooking raw potatoes in cooking liquid in the oven without parboiling them first, we need to ensure the potato slices cook through in time. The thinner you slice them, the quicker they will cook.
• Ensure to put in the hard work and layer the dish properly. A single layer of potatoes and seasoning followed by a single layer of buttery onions will ensure an even distribution of flavour and textures.
• If the top layer of potatoes isn't browning enough to your liking, place the baking dish under the grill for a couple of minutes.

What To Serve With Boulangere Potatoes?

A hugely versatile side dish, pommes boulangère, can be served with a variety of meat, poultry and even fish dishes. It is a perfect accompaniment to a traditional British Sunday lunch (a.k.a. Sunday Roast Dinner).

Perfect for special occasions too, this soft buttery potato gratin dish goes particularly well with Easter leg of lamb or roast beef, as well as Christmas Roast Chicken and turkey, served with a side of Sourdough Stuffing and Tenderstem Broccoli. Here are some of our favourite recipes for you to try:

• Slow Cooker Shoulder of Lamb
• French Onion Chicken Breasts (Caramelised Onion Chicken)
• Apricot Stuffed Leg of Lamb
• Slow Cooker Braising Steak

Storage and Reheating

Boulangère potatoes are an amazing casserole dish that features thinly sliced potatoes and onions, baked until golden and crispy on top. So if you made a big batch, we don't blame you!

Other Delicious Potato Side Dishes

If you want the most delicious potato recipes, you have to turn to French cuisine. Dauphinoise potatoes, Lyonnaise Potatoes, Pommes Anna and Parmentier Potatoes are all among the most popular side dishes in the world, all featuring a humble potato. But if you fancy exploring other cuisines, why not try:

• Food Mill Mashed Potatoes
• Roasted Smashed Sage Potatoes
• Smashed Garlic Potatoes
• Muffin Tin Potato Stacks