Boulangere Potatoes

4-5 Russet potatoes

Garlic to taste
I or 2 large tomatoes
2 Large onions4 bay leaves

Chicken stock or water
Olive oil to cook the onions
Thyme and bay leaf

Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly, preferably on a kitchen mandolin but if not with a sharp knife. Keep the slices the same thickness
Crush the garlic
Slice the tomato
Slice the onions thinly and sauté them very slowly until tender. Deglaze with a little white wine and cook till dry then allow to cool.
Put a bottom bed of potatoes in an ovenproof flat dish. Add a later of onions then add a layer of tomatoes. Sprinkle some thyme on the tomatoes and add the crushed garlic. Add another layer of onions and season with salt and pepper. Add final layer of potatoes and cover with chicken stock or water.

You can add as many layers as you want.

Cook in a medium oven until the top layer is cooked. Remove from oven and allow to settle before serving. Top layer of potatoes should be slightly browned.
This is a classic potato and goes back a long time. It is usually served with roast lamb. It will go with any roast but it is particularly good with lamb. The original idea was to cook the lamb over the potatoes so the fat would flavor them. This was when the whole lamb was cooked on an open spit and the potatoes would placed under it. The original recipe does not have tomatoes in it but I like them with tomatoes.

You have to be a little careful about these potatoes getting too dry. Don't be afraid to a add a little stock or water during the cooking process. Always make sure the stock or water is just a little over the top when you put them in the oven and if necessary cover the potatoes during cooking with foil or lid to keep them moist. The potatoes will soak up the water and you can always pour any excess off.....

If you are roasting lamb it is not a bad idea to take a little bit of the juices from the pan with a spoon and add them to the potatoes.