Boulangère

Boulangère is the feminine form of the French noun boulanger, meaning a female baker. In culinary usage, the expression à la boulangère or boulangère describes a rustic cooking style associated with bakery ovens, typically involving slow, oven-based preparation in a shallow dish.

The best-known dish in this tradition is pommes de terre boulangère. Potatoes are thinly sliced and layered with onions (and sometimes garlic), seasoned with salt, pepper, and herbs, and dotted with butter. The dish is moistened with stock or milk and roasted in the oven until the potatoes are tender and the top is lightly browned. Variations exist, including the addition of mushrooms, tomato slices, cheese or breadcrumbs, or substituting olive oil for butter, or adding wine to the cooking liquid. The method emphasizes gentle, even cooking to yield a creamy interior with a browned, flavorful surface.

Historically, the term evokes a dish prepared in a baker’s oven, and in modern use it can simply denote a recipe prepared in this traditional, homey French style. Boulangère may also refer to a female baker in general.