I have a rather too close relationship with potatoes. Damn Christopher Columbus or whoever it was who bought them back from the Americas. I particularly like them smothered in butter if they are baked in their jackets, or cooked in olive oil when roasted. Or how about butter, cream and cheese if they are mashed? Oh dear, I can´t always have naughty potatoes and sometimes plain boiled with a drizzle of olive oil just doesn´t do it for me.
Boulangère Potatoes are a good option if you are trying to be a little sensible with the calories, or if you just want to go mad with the dessert. They´re also wonderful when you are entertaining, as apart from tasting fantastic, they can sit quite happily in a warm oven for quite a while and come to no significant harm. Boulangère is the French word for Baker. Many families in the past did not have ovens in their own homes. They would take a dish of these down to the village baker who would kindly pop them in to cook in his still warm oven when the bread baking was done. What nice people bakers are.
To serve four people you´ll need about 1kg of potatoes peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer but you can also do this by hand or in a food processor), 2 medium onions thinly sliced, olive oil, seasoning and about half a litre of vegetable or chicken stock. If you have it, some fresh thyme is also good but right now I´m in a bit of a huff with Big Man as he dug all mine up a while back thinking it was a weed! Rosemary also works well with this dish.
Lightly oil the base of an oven proof dish and start making layers of potato, onion, herbs and seasoning. Finish with a layer of potatoes, season and then pour over stock to completely cover.
Cover the dish with foil and bake in a at 200ºC/Gas 6 for about 45 minutes, then take off the foil. The potatoes and onion will be soft now and most of the liquid will have disappeared. Continue to cook for another 15 minutes or until the liquid has all gone and the potatoes have browned. If you find it has cooked through but the potatoes are still a little pale, put under the grill for a few minutes.
Either serve immediately or leave at the bottom of a low oven until you are ready to eat.
Chica Andaluza 
Delicious! I love potatoes cooked like this and your photo is great with the browned bits around the edges of the top slices. I’d add some garlic too, because I add it to everything. Olive oil is healthy, of course, even if calorie-filled, so that’s my excuse for not feeling guilty at all about it! My favourite mash is with garlic, olives and olive oil…for me that beats butter every time.
Oh yes, garlic is ALWAYS good! And I´ll fight you for the browned bits 😉
Patatas panadera… Qué ricas!
I should have put it in Spanish too – good thinking!
I want some now! Just off to the farmers’ market, where I will be buying lots of potatoes 😉
You lucky thing, a Sunday morning stroll round the farmers´market and then …. lunch!!
Well the bike ride and stroll bit were good, but I have to work this afternoon 😉
Go on then, get your nose to the grindstone 😉
Hi T, Great alternative to mash especially if there is no gravy!! lol!
Regards Florence x
It makes a nice change!
Of the “white stuff” potatoes are my favorite.
Where would we be without them?!
Thank goodness it isn’t just me with a huge love for spuds. This is a fantastic dish Tanya, nice to know they are delicious without the cream. Looking at your pic, I could take that dish to the table with a fork and have it as a full meal all by myself.
🙂 Mandy
Sometimes I have to be good (although I adore them with cream). Three cheers for our beloved spud!
Now, you see, it’s a toss up between these and Potatoes Dauphenoise for me. But mash will always be my first love!
I love them all – creamy yummy dauphinoise and lovely buttery mash!
I wouldn’t turn away a plate of either!!!! Hence the fact I’m not more slim. But life is much more fun for me this way.
Our house does not function without potatoes…To be honest, it didn’t even before the arrival of the Girl!
Nice alternative dish, we’ll give it a go, just as soon as we finish up the giant potato gratin Hubby made on Friday!
They´re a staple for so many of us (well, rice and pasta too!). Potato gratin…now that sounds VERY good indeed!
I agree… potatoes are just too good. I can never turn down a good potato dish! x
Looks like we´re all fans!
These are perfect, the title of one of the books i wrote (and never finished) years ago was Potatoes are Your Best Friend!!! I LOVE them too! c
Love it – you need to Finish That Book (we´d all buy it!).
gotta try these
Hope you enjoy them!
almost like cottage fries, thinly sliced and seasoned on a lightly oiled baking sheet, broiled and flipped over to broil the other side….low calorie
Now they sound REALLY good!
Ooooh, yummy. This sounds fantastic. Lovely post 🙂
Thanks Frugal – it´s an economical one too!
One of my favourite recipes – nice post
Thanks Roger!
Potatoes aren’t always photogenic, but what a PRETTY potato dish that is, Tanya! Really love potatoes prepared this way, breakfast lunch or (and) dinner! And what a pity about your thyme! There’s a mistake that won’t be made again I bet!
Thanks Spree – yes, at least the pot was a nice one! Big Man bought me a pot of thyme last week and we planted it today…hopefully it will soon settle into its new home 🙂
I love potatoes too! Could eat them every day! These sound and look delicious and will be tried that is for sure! Never thought of using stock to bake the potatoes in! Is Big Man going to replace the thyme plant? Just read the comment before and see that he has done just that! Figured he would! He’s a keeper! It will settle just fine and I am sure that Big Man will not make the same mistake twice!
Yes, he made good the thyme…and some basil too, so all is forgiven! The stock is good as is keeps it moist and adds plenty of flavour.
Most of the time, I like the boulangère potatoes with just stock and a tiny bit of cheese much more than the creamy spud dishes one is so often fed. (I’ll save my cream quotient for dessert, thank you very much!) And I always do think how lovely it must have been to have a communal baker’s oven!
Oh yes, some cheese in there is good too! When we went to Morocco last year, it was lovely to see in so many of the villages that families did still send their bread to the communal oven.
A simple yet delicious way to serve potatoes! I’m going to make this! If mine look half as good as yours do in the opening photo, I’ll be more than happy. Thanks for another great recipe, Tanya.
By the way, the Spanish brought introduced potatoes to Europe in the 16th century, following the Inca Conquest.
Thanks John – it´s not easy to make potatoes look appetising! And now I know I can blame the Spaniards (or maybe thank them just a little bit) 😉
I’d thank ’em. If there’s no pasta on my plate, you’re sure to find potatoes in one form or another.
Tanya, I unfortunately have the same love of potatoes that you do. My husband calls me potato girl. He is so good and can easily skip potatoes but it is much harder for me. I’ll think of you the next time I am eating potatoes…especially if I am eating “Tanya’s potatoes”.
“Smile” – I think there are a lot of us “potato girls” out here!
Um, yes please, I’ll take four!
Coming right up…!
10 points for this boulangrere! I love it when it’s cooked properly, and is neither soggy nor too dry… 🙂
Ooh – thank you! You´re right though, too dry and it´s not good, too soggy and you don´t get the crunchy bits to fight over!
I love potatoes. I can eat them like crazy.This recipe is simply delicious….and the pictures made me drool ….time to check the fridge for some food….Have a beautiful day….
Thank you, it´s such a simple recipe. Have a lovely week!
I want mine with chives and sour cream. Oops and yes a lot of butter 🙂
Now you´re talking!
Yep, I’m a sucker for potatoes, too, almost any way you can cook ’em. These look simply delicious. I’ve made gratins with cheese, cream, leeks, fennel and of course they are decadent and good, but I love how this sounds with such a quick and simple prep…almost like it’s healthy! These would be a great use for my leftover roasted chicken stock! 🙂
Oh yes – imagine all those lovely chickeny and potatoey flavours 🙂
Being mostly German, potatoes always speak to me and I enjoy them just about anyway they are prepared. 🙂
I love that your potatoes speak to you…I hear them whispering!
A fantastic recipe Chica, and thanks for the reminder of such a great recipe! Y-U-M !
Good with veggie stock and wine instead of chicken stock too!
Oh my god he dug up the thyme. Bloody hell. What was he thinking!!! o:) I love thyme and use it often so I feel your annoyance. Mutter mutter mutter thyme gone mutter mutter.
Thanks for the tates – its cold here today and I’m in socks for the first time in months, so I think its going to be comfort food tonight. This will be our starches for sure.
Socks? Wow, it must be chilly! Mind you, when we have our hot, hot summers I welcome a chilly evening every so often. The thyme has been replaced (phew) and we now have lots of weeds as he´s worried about what he might pull up next 😉 Enjoy the potatoes if you make them!
Mmmmm, I feel the same way about sweet potatoes!! God, I love them. I’m so sad the sweet potato season is almost over. As for normal potatoes… mashed is my favorite! I usually boil a generous amount of garlic cloves with the potatoes, and then mash it all up together, adding a bit of salt and parsley. I love comfort food. 🙂
I love sweet potatoes too, we´re not seeing so many now though 😦 Ok, so now I´m craving garlic mashed potatoes!
This is certainly going on my Easter menu! I like that its not all cream and butter filled. Of course, I will have to test it out much sooner, you know…just because it looks soo good!!
It´s a good one for when you have family round and are not sure exactly what time you´ll get to the main course. It´s also good when you have lots of rich things on the menu, as it´s simple and fairly plain. Let me know how it goes!
Damn, your first paragraph did an excellent job at making me feeling starving hungry! I’ve yet to have dinner here…. I know it’s not going to be potatoes tonight alas, but jeez, I suddenly have a huge craving for them 😀
What an interesting story about the bakers – handy folks to be friends with 😀
Sorry Charles 😉 Actually, when I was a child and we went to visit the family in Southern Italy, my aunties didn´t have ovens and I remember being sent down the road with the lasagna and joining the other families to get ours cooked!
Mmmm…these potatoes look great! 🙂
Thank you so much!
Yum, this one sounds right up my alley, being meat-free! I’m in that fight for the brown bits!
Come and join the scrum!
I love potatoes too!and this is such a lovely way to present them
Looking forward to giving it a go
Thanks Sawsan – looks like you are playing catch up today. Have a great weekend 🙂
I am sorry I have missed so many of your recipes and posts (things have been a little crazy) so I am trying to catch up.
If I am posting too many comments I can stop and silently enjoy the rest of the posts I missed
Pleae, please don´t stop, I love to hear from you!
Oh, this is gorgeous, I’ll definitely try making it, and maybe on a fire too! Thanks, Chica 🙂
I can imagine the lovely smokey flavours would be incredible in this simple dish…