These boulangère potatoes are just like the potato bake my Dad made when I was a kid! With thinly sliced layers of potato and onions baked in a white wine broth with lots of fresh thyme, this is a perfect alternative to roasted potatoes on the dinner table.
You may assume with a name like boulangère potatoes that my dad was French, but he wasn’t. Still, growing up, I was always a little disappointed that while all my friends’ parents made potato bake with cream and cheese, my Dad made his with wine and onions.
It was just something so normal about my childhood I didn’t really think more about it. That was until earlier this year when my husband said he wanted to make something called “boulangère potatoes.” As he pulled the dish out of the oven, the smell immediately took me back to being a child. With wide eyes, I exclaimed, “This is it! This is my dad’s potato bake!”
Dad was a huge fan of cooking shows on TV, with his most popular recreation being this chocolate pavlova inspired by the one and only Nigella Lawson. While we lost Dad a couple of years ago, I have no doubt that this potato bake recipe came from a TV chef (probably either Nigella or Jamie Oliver I am sure) but unfortunately I’ll never know for sure.
As an adult, I now appreciate this dish for what it is. It’s the perfect easy but impressive side dish to serve for Christmas dinner alongside glazed ham or roast chicken.
This recipe was adapted from Taming Twins (the version my husband made for me) to be a little closer to what I remember Dad making and also with a simple swap to make it completely dairy free.
Key Ingredients
This recipe for boulangère potatoes combines simple ingredients in a way that creates a flavourful and delicious side dish that is a great alternative to the usual baked potatoes.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- White potatoes – I like to use cleaned white potatoes and keep the skin on but you can use any all-rounder potato variety for this recipe.
- Onion – will be sliced very thinly for this recipe. If your onions are small, you may want to use 2.
- Dairy free butter – I like to use Nuttelex Buttery (which is an Australian product) for this recipe to add a little extra richness. A little olive oil would also work though.
- Thyme – fresh thyme I think is essential to the flavour of this dish. You can use dried but fresh is better.
- Chicken or vegetable stock – I find chicken broth has a bit of a deeper flavour which I like for this recipe but if you need this dish to be vegetarian use vegetable broth.
- White wine – use a dry white wine that’s not too strong or sweet such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris. If you want to keep it alcohol free, simply use additional broth.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To start you’ll need to select your baking dish. I am using my enamel cast iron French pan as it’s shallow and has a lid so works perfectly. If you don’t have a casserole dish with a lid, then you can just cover the dish in aluminium foil and bake it.
Note: I like to bake this in a more shallow, wide dish about 30 cm in diameter to ensure the potato cooks through and the onion starts to caramelise for the best flavour.
Step 1: Start by thinly slicing the potatoes and onion. I highly recommend using a mandoline for this as not only will it make easy work of it, it will ensure beautifully thin and even slices which is going to give the overall dish a better texture.
Step 2: Get to layering! Into the base of your greased pan, add a layer of sliced onions, followed by a layer of potatoes. Dot with a few small pieces of butter and sprinkle with fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.
Repeat the layering process, seasoning each layer and finishing with a top layer of potatoes.
Step 3: Pour the stock and white wine evenly over the potatoes and season the top with a little more salt, pepper, and thyme.
Step 4: Cover the dish with a lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden and crisp.
Serving Suggestions
Complete your Christmas dinner feast with the following;
- Air Fryer Roast Pork
- Maple Glazed Carrots
- Roasted Pumpkin Salad
- Non Alcoholic Cherry Spritz
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Just use vegetable stock and then it’s both vegan and vegetarian as written.
Of course. Just swap the white wine for extra stock.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven at 180°C (350°F) until warmed through to keep the top layer crisp, or just heat up in the microwave if you’re feeling lazy. It tastes delicious reheated either way!
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More potato sides:
Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes
Dairy Free Potato Salad
Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Air Fryer Potatoes
Dad’s Potato Bake (Boulangère Potatoes)
Ingredients
- 800 grams white potatoes cleaned, skins on
- 1 large brown onion
- 2–3 tablespoons dairy free butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
- ½ cup dry white wine or use additional stock
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C or 350°F.
- Thinly slice the potatoes and onion. A mandoline works best for even layers.
- Grease the base of a cast iron French pan or casserole dish with a little dairy free butter.
- Add a layer of sliced onions, followed by a layer of potatoes. Dot with a few small pieces of butter and sprinkle with fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Repeat the layering process, seasoning each layer and finishing with a top layer of potatoes.
- Pour the stock and white wine (or extra stock) evenly over the potatoes. Season the top with a little more salt, pepper, and thyme.
- Cover the dish with a lid and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the lid and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden and crisp. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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