Brown both sides of the cutlets in 1 tablespoon of butter without cooking them. Keep warm. Deglaze the frying pan with a little boiling water, pour the juice onto the cutlets. Put the remaining butter into the frying pan with the thinly sliced onions, gently fry over a moderate heat without allowing to brown. Pour into an ovenproof dish. Top with the salted and pepperd cutlets, their juice, half of the wine and 7 tablespoons of water, sprinkle with the thyme, the crumbled bay leaf and the crushed garlic. Cut the potatoes into thin slices. Put into 4 1/4 pints of boiling salted water, bring to a boil and pour immediately into a sieve. Drain very well. Top the cutlets with the potato slices, moisten with the remaining white wine until barely covering the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then bake in a hot oven (400F), covered with an aluminum foil. Baste frequently. As soon as the potatoes are cooked, uncover, turn the heat up to 450F, cook until brown. Serve in the baking dish.
