The Recipe Clinic
Overhead view of a round glass baking dish of boulangère potatoes fresh from the oven, showing a deeply golden and caramelised top layer of thinly sliced potatoes scattered with dark herbs, sitting on a gas hob with bubbling juices around the edges.
vegetariancomfort-foodmake-aheaddinner

Boulangère Potatoes

Prep 20 min Cook 75 min from Priyanka · 7 August 2026

Priyanka’s just shared this golden, bubbling boulangère from the family group chat — a classic French bake that layers thinly sliced potatoes and onions in a savoury stock rather than cream, making it naturally lighter without sacrificing any of that gorgeous caramelised depth.

Nutrition

285 kcal calories
6 g protein
52 g carbs
6 g fat
Fibre5g
Sugar5g
Sodium380mg

Ingredients

Servings 4
  • 1000 g floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper, peeled and very thinly sliced (2–3 mm)
  • 3 large onions, peeled and finely sliced into half-moons
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
  • 500 ml good-quality vegetable or chicken stock, hot
  • 20 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 180 °C fan (200 °C conventional / Gas Mark 6) and lightly grease a round or rectangular oven-safe dish (roughly 25 cm diameter) with a little butter.
  2. Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt, and cook gently for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to turn golden. Add the garlic for the final 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
  3. Arrange a single layer of potato slices across the base of the prepared dish, overlapping them slightly like fish scales. Season lightly with salt, pepper, and a scattering of thyme and rosemary.
  4. Spoon over a thin layer of the softened onion and garlic mixture. Continue building layers of potato and onion, seasoning and adding herbs as you go, until all the potato and onion are used up. Finish with a neat top layer of potato slices.
  5. Pour the hot stock slowly and evenly over the layered potatoes — it should come just to the level of the top layer but not submerge it entirely. Dot the remaining butter across the surface.
  6. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a knife.
  7. Remove the foil and return the dish to the oven for a further 25–30 minutes, until the top is deeply golden, caramelised, and crisp at the edges.
  8. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5–10 minutes before serving — this helps the layers settle and makes it easier to portion.