Tartiflette

A perfect meal for mid-winter

Tartiflette is a dish from the Savoie and Haute Savoie regions of France. It is made with potatoes, Reblochon cheese, lardons and onions. This is seriously stick-in-the-ribs stuff, and perfect for a cold winter's day.

Ingredients

1.3 kg waxy potatoes (skin left on, optional)

2 tbsp butter

1 large onion, thinly sliced

200 g smoked bacon lardons

150 ml dry white wine

200 ml whipping cream or crème fraîche 

1 Reblochon

1 clove of garlic, mashed

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.

Boil the potatoes from cold (à l'Anglaise) in well-salted water until just tender to a fork, but not cooked right through.

Drain well and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, melt half the butter in a frying pan and sauté the onions, garlic and bacon until the onions are soft and both are beginning to brown.

Tip in the wine, bring to a simmer, and reduce to nearly nothing. Stir in the cream or crème fraîche – off the heat.

Cut the potatoes into smallish cubes (roughly 1cm), or into thick slices.

[Optional: Heat the remaining butter in a frying pan and sauté them until golden. This additional step reduces the subsequent baking time to 15 minutes; please note.]

Cut the cheese in half horizontally.

[This recipe assumes you will do this, but an alternative method is to slice the Reblochon as thinly as you can consistent with not making a mess of yourself and your kitchen, and then cover the whole of the top of the dish before baking.]

Cover the base of an ovenproof dish with half the potatoes. Spoon over half the onion and bacon mixture and season well.

Repeat the layers, and finish by putting the Reblochon, rind uppermost, on top [but see above].

Bake for about 30-40 minutes until browned and bubbling, then serve with a green salad and a glass of dry white wine. Keep checking to see if the potatoes are cooked.

[Note: If you sautéed the potatoes at the earlier step, then this baking time probably only needs to be about 15 minutes.]

Serve immediately with hot crusty bread.

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