Gordon Ramsay’s boulangère potatoes are thin slices of waxy potato layered with onions and soaked in herb-infused stock. They bake until golden on top and tender through. The whole dish takes about an hour.
This comes from his Pommes Boulangère in Sunday Lunch, where he serves them under a herb-crusted rack of lamb. The dish is the older, lighter cousin of dauphinoise: instead of cream, the potatoes drink up chicken stock, so they stay savoury rather than rich. The name means baker’s wife, since villagers once left the dish to cook in the baker’s cooling oven.
The detail most recipes miss is what Gordon does to the stock first. He boils it with thyme, rosemary and smashed garlic, then steeps it for 20 minutes before straining, so the potatoes drink in real flavour. That, and slicing the potatoes thin on a mandolin, is what separates a good boulangère from a watery one.
Gordon Ramsay Boulangère Potatoes
Course: Side DishCuisine: French, BritishDifficulty: Easy4
20
minutes40
minutes230
kcal1 hr
Gordon Ramsay’s boulangère potatoes from Sunday Lunch. Thinly sliced waxy potatoes layered with sautéed onions and garlic, soaked in herb-infused chicken stock, then baked until the top is golden and crisp. The lighter, stock-based answer to dauphinoise.
Ingredients
400ml chicken stock
1 thyme sprig
2 rosemary sprigs
5 garlic cloves, peeled
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
A little olive oil, for cooking
4 large waxy potatoes, such as Desirée or Charlotte
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Infuse the stock: Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan) Gas 6. Bring the stock to the boil with the thyme, rosemary and 3 smashed garlic cloves, then turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes before straining.
- Soften the onions: Finely chop the remaining 2 garlic cloves. Sauté the onions and garlic in a little olive oil until soft, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Slice the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly, using a mandolin if you have one, so they cook evenly.
- Layer up: Layer the potatoes and onions in a large shallow ovenproof dish, seasoning well as you go, and finish with a neat layer of potatoes on top.
- Add the stock: Pour in enough infused stock to come two-thirds up the dish, press the potatoes down, then drizzle a little olive oil over the top.
- Bake: Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden and the potatoes are tender when pierced. Rest a few minutes before serving.
FAQs
What are boulangère potatoes?
They are a classic French side of thinly sliced potatoes and onions, baked in stock until the top crisps and the inside turns soft. Gordon’s version layers waxy potatoes with sautéed onions, then bakes them in herb-infused chicken stock.
The name means baker’s wife, because the dish was traditionally left in the cooling village bread oven. That history is the clue to how simple it is: just potatoes, onions and good stock, doing the work slowly.
What is the difference between boulangère and dauphinoise?
It comes down to the liquid. Boulangère bakes the potatoes in stock with onions, so it stays light and savoury, while his richer dauphinoise potatoes use cream and often cheese.
So if you want something to cut through a rich main, boulangère is the one. Dauphinoise is the indulgent choice, and the two are worth knowing apart since recipe sites often muddle them. If you like a layered potato bake, his potato and beetroot gratin is another worth trying.
What potatoes are best for boulangère?
Use waxy potatoes like Desirée or Charlotte, since they hold their shape and stay in neat layers rather than collapsing. A floury potato would break down and turn the dish to mush.
Slice them thinly and evenly, ideally on a mandolin, so every layer cooks at the same rate. Uneven slices are the usual reason a boulangère ends up part crisp, part raw.
Can you make boulangère potatoes ahead?
Yes, and it suits being prepped early. You can layer the whole dish a few hours ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Bake it when you need it, adding a few extra minutes from cold.
It also reheats well the next day, since the potatoes have already soaked up the stock. Cover with foil and warm through in the oven so the top crisps again rather than drying out.
What do you serve with boulangère potatoes?
Gordon serves his under a herb-crusted rack of lamb, and that pairing is the clue: this is a side for a Sunday roast. The savoury, stock-soaked potatoes sit beautifully beside lamb, beef or chicken.
They also work alongside a roast leg of lamb or a simple roast chicken, soaking up the juices. For something lighter, they go well with roasted fish like the monkfish Gordon pairs them with.
Why are my boulangère potatoes watery or bland?
Usually it is the stock. Too much liquid leaves them swimming, so add only enough to come two-thirds up the dish, as Gordon does. Press the potatoes down too, so the top layer browns instead of boiling.
Blandness comes from skipping the infusion. If you pour in plain stock the dish tastes flat, which is why steeping it with thyme, rosemary and garlic first makes such a difference.
