Pommes Boulangère

“Baker’s Potatoes” in English, Pommes Boulangère is a favourite for Thanksgiving time. Simple to make but a challenge to master, the key to a good texture is to allow the starches to mix in and settle with the stock. This recipe is adapted from Claire Saffitz’s recipe over at cooking.nytimes.com.

Servings: 8 servings
Total: 3h

Ingredients

8 tablespoons unsalted room temperature butter
2 large yellow onions, halved and sliced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, halved
3 pounds fingerling potatoes, scrubbed
3 fresh thyme sprigs
4 cups chicken or turkey stock, preferably homemade
Truffle oil
Herbs de Provence

Instructions

Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high. When the butter is melted and foamy, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring often, until the onions are golden brown, adding a splash of water to the skillet as needed if the bottom is getting brown, 25 to 30 minutes longer. Season the onion with salt and pepper, and scrape into a medium bowl. Set the bowl aside and reserve the skillet.
Arrange an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 400F. Rub the bottom and sides of a 3-quart baking dish with the cut sides of the garlic clove, then generously coat with room temperature butter. Set the baking dish aside.
Using a mandoline or a knife and a cutting board, slice about a third of the potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Working quickly so the potatoes don’t brown, heat 1 tablespoon butter in the reserved skillet over medium-high, then add the sliced potatoes; toss until the potato slices are coated in the butter. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until the potatoes are browned in spots and just starting to turn translucent and lose some of their crunchy texture, about 5 minutes. Scrape the potato mixture into a separate large bowl.
Working in two batches, slice the remaining potatoes and cook with the remaining butter in the skillet just as you did the first batch. Transfer all of the potatoes to the same bowl as the first batch and let cool for a few minutes (reserve the skillet).
Scatter about a third of the potato slices in an even layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish, then scatter about half of the onions over top with a few pinches of Herbs de Provence and sprigs of thyme on top of each layer. Scatter half of the remaining potatoes in the baking dish, then top with the remaining onions. Layer the remaining potatoes over top in an even layer, shingling them or arranging in a rosette, or you can leave them haphazard. Small tweezers help with placement.
Add the stock to the reserved skillet and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Give the stock a taste and add salt as needed to make sure it’s well-seasoned. Remove the skillet from the heat and gently pour the stock into the baking dish just until it barely covers the potato slices. If you have any stock left over, reserve it for moistening the potatoes as needed while they bake.
Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake uncovered until the potatoes are tender and golden across the surface and the stock is bubbling, reduced and has been mostly absorbed by the potatoes, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes. If the surface of the potatoes seems to be drying out or if the potatoes absorb all of the stock during baking, drizzle some of the reserved stock over top to moisten them. If you don’t have any more stock, you can use water or white wine.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool completely at room temperature (turn off the oven). As they cool, add in the truffle oil while the mixture sets and absorbs the stock. The potatoes can sit uncovered at room temperature for several hours.
About an hour before serving, heat the oven to 350F. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake uncovered until the potatoes are heated through, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.