This beautiful and very delicious Potato and Beetroot Boulangere bake is Inspired by the classic French dish Pommes Boulangère. It's the perfect side for an elegant dinner party, or to ring the changes for Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner.
The ingredients for this potato bake are humble, but the effect of fine slices of beets and potato layered up make a beautiful side dish. The colours of this dish are rather glorious, the white of the potato gently mingling with the deep ruby of the beetroot, turning blushing pink once ladled out onto a plate. In fact, it's so pretty, I would urge you to consider this as an alternative accompaniment to the traditional roast potatoes at Christmas or Thanksgiving. It certainly looks festive enough.
If you're looking for the perfect main to serve with this bake for Christmas, try this gorgeous Chestnut, Mushroom & Squash Christmas Filo Wreath Pie. Alternatively I love to serve this potato bake with a flavorful and cozy winter stew like this Chestnut and Mushroom Bourguignon for the ultimate in French homestyle cooking.
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🥔Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this beetroot and potato bake.
- Potatoes : Choose fairly large potatoes such as maris piper. I like to leave them unpeeled but you can choose as you wish.
- Red Beets (Beetroot) : Try to choose red beets that are similar in size to the potatoes. Make sure they're fresh and not wrinkly or a bit soft. If they're really fresh you can use the beet tops in pasta like this Beans and Greens pasta or sauteed with garlic.
- White or Yellow Onions: Again choose similar size onions to the beets and potatoes.
- White Wine: I like to use a good glug of white wine in this bake, however you can add a little apple cider vinegar instead if you don't drink.
- Bay Leaves: for a subtle but savory flavor.
- Thyme: lots of fresh thyme is essential. You can also choose to add rosemary .
- Vegetable stock or boullion powder: good quality homemade vegetable stock or choose a quality boullion (I like the Marigold brand)
- Olive Oil: to brush over the casserole dish and brush on top of the vegetables before baking.
- Flakey sea salt and pepper to taste!
See recipe card for quantities.
👩🍳Instructions
Here's how to make this wonderful side dish:
1. Using a mandoline or sharp knife thinly slice the potatoes, peel the beets and slice then slice the onions.
2. Brush oil all over a casserole dish or deep baking tray. Layer the sliced potatoes (you can choose to do this coincentric circles in a round dish, or in rows if you use a square dish)
3. Add a layer of beetroot, then alternate layers of beets and slices of potatoes with onions until your dish is full. Make sure it's tightly layered by tucking in a few extra slices as needed.
4. Tuck the bay leaves between the layers, sprinkle over the thyme and pour over the wine and stock. Add a lid made of foil, then put in the oven at 200c/390f to bake.
Hint: The trick is a long slow bake, for at least 45 mins with a little lid over the casserole dish made of tin foil. After 45 mins test to see if the potatoes are tender ( if they are not, put them back in the oven for another 10 mins) before removing the foil lid & cooking for another 25 mins to create a sort of crustyness on top.
🌶️Substitutions & Variations
Here are some simple ways to switch up this recipe according to your own tastebuds and what you have available.
- Golden Beets- Swap out the red beetroot for golden beetroot for a less blushing red boulangere.
- No Wine -omit the wine and add 2-3 teaspoons of cider vinegar or white balsamic vinegar. The recipe needs a little acid to balance the rich sweet flavor of the beets.
- Garlic - tuck slickes of garlic into the layers of beetroot and potatoes.
- Sweet Potatoes- swap the potatoes out for sweet potatoes- or even use sweet potatoes in place of the beetroot.
- Optional Gratin Top- Finish the top of the potatoes off with some panko bread crumbs and vegan parmesan cheese and pop back in the oven 10 minutes before it's ready to serve.
🔪Equipment
You'll need a steady hand and a mandolin, or use the slice function on your food processer to thinly slice the root vegetables. You can also just use a knife to slice the veggies. You will also need a good casserole dish that is pretty enough to serve in.
🫙Storage
Store any leftovers for up to a week in the fridge in an airtight container or up to 3 months in the freezer.
🥣Make ahead of Time
If you wish you can assemble the boulangere and bake it to nearly done, then wrap and put in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat with foil over the top for half an hour, then remove the foil and bake for a further 10-15 minutes so it is partially crispy on top.
Top tip
Evenly cut thin slices of the potatoes and beets will help this dish not only look pretty but cook evenly.
❓FAQ
Boulangere is a method of cooking sliced potatoes and onions in vegetable or chicken stock in the oven. Traditionally in a small French village you would ask your local baker (the Boulangerie) to bake the dish in the residual heat of their oven.
More French Vegan Dishes
Here are some other great French style vegan dishes you might want to try
Festive Sides
Why not try some of these other festive sides?
📖 Recipe
Beetroot and Potato Boulangere Bake
Equipment
- 1 mandolin or sharp knife
- 1 casserole dish 25 cm diameter ish
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) beetroots (about 3 or 4 the size of a small orange)
- 500 g (1 lb) medium potatoes (about 3 or 4 the size of a small orange)
- 150 g (36 ⅜ lb) medium onion (roughly 1 large or 2 medium)
- 4-5 sprigs thyme
- 7-8 fresh bay leaves (or sage)
- 1 tablespoon marigold stock powder (OR )
- 180 ml (¾ cups) hot water
- 80 ml (⅓ cups) white wine ((optional- sub in more water if not using))
- 1 Tbs Olive Oil
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Thinly slice the beetroots & potatoes. You want each slice to be around 4-5ml thick. You also want them all to be roughly the same size, so cut any huge pieces in half so that there is a flat edge.
- Slick the onion into thin slices.
- Slick the olive oil over a casserole dish
- Layer the slices of beetroot and potatoes, I like how it looks with them all standing up in stripy circles or rows if the dish is square.
- Once the beetroot and potatoes are layered, slip the onion slices in randomly around the dish, tucking them down between the slices of potato and beetroot.
- Mix the thyme leaves, stock powder, white wine and water together, and add a little salt & pepper.
- Pour the stock mix over the layered beets & potatoes.
- Tuck the bay leaves in and around here and there.
- Squish a bit of foil over the lot as a sort of 'lid' to help keep the steam in & accellerate the cooking process.
- Pop in a moderate oven (Gas mark 7, 220C) for 40- 45 mins.
- Then, check to see if the potatoes are tender ( no one wants potatoes that bite back!)
- If they are not quite done, put back in the oven for 10 mins.
- Then, take the foil lid off, and put back in the oven to crisp up the top and create that baked potatoey crispness that is just so delicious. 15 - 20 mins should do it.
- Serve as a glorious side dish, or as a beautiful main event with some tasty accompanying sides.
Notes
This is also brilliant as left overs. It becomes even more squidgily delicious.
Kim says
Where des the onion come in???
Louise-Claire Cayzer says
Ah- it gets tucked in along with the beetroot and potatoes. I'll update the recipe to be clearer!
AW says
I added some garlic between the layers and I will use a little less stock/wine next time, but really tasty.
Louise-Claire Cayzer says
Garlic between the layers is a great idea! So glad you liked this recipe :). The amount of stock/wine needed can really vary depending on the type of potatoes used, but if you use too little, you can always top it up & cook for a little longer.