French · Authentic-ish French
Pommes Boulangere
200 kcal a serving, against 259 for the traditional version. That is 59 kcal off, or 23%, with 6.7g of protein. Serves 6. 1 hour 30 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A heavy baking dish layered with finely sliced potatoes and onions. The whole lot is drowned in rich chicken stock and scattered with garlic and fresh thyme. Finally, a completely unnecessary 60g block of butter is diced and scattered over the top to melt down into the cracks and fry the upper crust.
What changed, and what each change costs
60g of butter down to 10g
I only use enough butter to lightly grease the baking dish and dot a tiny amount over the top layer. The potatoes cook until perfectly tender in the stock alone, so the extra fat is just there for a superficial crunch.
What it costs you. You lose that intensely rich, fried potato crust. The top layer will still go brown, but it won't have the same heavy, satisfying crunch.
Baking covered in foil for the first 45 minutes
When you remove 50g of protective fat from the top of the dish, the exposed potatoes are going to burn before the middle is cooked. Covering the tray traps the steam and softens the potatoes through.
What it costs you. It takes slightly more effort. You can't just throw it in the oven and forget about it. You've got to remember to pull the foil off for the final 30 minutes to give the dish some colour.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 259 | 200 |
| Protein | 6.7g | 6.7g |
| Fat | 9.5g | 2.8g |
| Saturated fat | 5.4g | 1.2g |
| Carbohydrate | 38.1g | 38.1g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 2.6g | 3.3g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish French prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. milk, celery.
The method is in the book
You end up with a deeply comforting tray of stock infused potatoes. The version that's a rich, heavy gratin is still out there and still better. The onions practically dissolve into a sweet, savoury mush, and the top layer still catches enough heat to turn a dark, appealing brown. I actually prefer this to the traditional version. When you aren't fighting through a thick layer of melted fat, you can really taste the chicken stock and the thyme. Serve it next to a roast chicken or a massive pile of green beans.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish French, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback