Pomme boulangère with roast tomatoes and garlic green beans

 I don't often cook French food but I do love it. When I was young my family use to go to a farmhouse near Alençon with some regularity (does it make me seem more or less bougie to say it was borrowed from my dads tennis friends?). My most powerful memory of that place is the absolute peace and darkness of the night that you only get in the true countryside. There was no television, no internet, only books and the French radio.  The second thing that I think of is a meal that we had after falling prey to a particularly vigorous hive of guard bees.  As in all things in rural France our first port of call was to ask for advice in faulting, floundering French at the local café.  While we were waiting we had a meal that felt to a young me fit for kings. I remember the remoulade, the cucumber salad, multiple robust terrines, but  the green beans they served have taken residence in mine and my brothers memory and this is our attempt to recall that experience. you cant have a bowl of green beans as a meal so we put them with Pomme boulangère and roast tomatoes. 

The Pomme boulangère

Potatoes (Thinly sliced, I use a food processor because I value my time)

Onion (Likewise thinly sliced)

Butter (two teaspoons)

Veg stock (hot, enough to barely cover the potatoes)

Thyme (dried or fresh)

Rosemary (dried or fresh)

Pepper (to taste)

Salt (to taste)

1. Melt a knob of butter in a deep oven safe skillet. 
2. Cover the bottom of the pan with a thick layer of potatoes then sprinkle on a conservative sprinkle of rosemary and thyme. top it with a layer of onion.
3. Repeat step 2 until the pan is full. 
4. Pour in enough stock not to quite cover the potato
5. Put some heat on the bottom of the pan for about 5 minuets. or until the pan boils   
6. In an 180 degree oven for an hour 
7. Take out and dot the top with butter before returning to the oven for ten minuets. 

 

The green beans 

Green beans (topped, tailed and cut into half) 

Garlic (roughly minced)

Butter (as much as your conscience allows)

1. Top and tail the green beans then cut them in half. 
2. Melt the butter with the garlic. 
   
   
3. Sauté the green beans until the just begin to colour.
4. Splash in some water and clap a lid onto the pan and allow them to steam until they soften a little.

Serve with roast tomatoes and a simple dressed salad (mustard vinaigrette). We didn't have any bread and we felt the lack so maybe get a baguette too.