Tartiflette

Tartiflette is a triumph of marketing. It has all the appearance of an old traditional French alpine dish, but actually, it was invented in the 1980s in order to sell more Reblochon cheese. Nowadays it is a household name and commonly encountered both in private homes and on restaurant menus during winter all over France. It's one of the iconic French dishes foreign visitors have heard of and are keen to try.

Leftover Tartiflette.

Reblochon comes from Savoy, and the Savoyard word for potatoes is 'tartifla'. The dish doesn't come out of nowhere though. It closely resembles much older classics such as péla, gratin savoyard and truffade. Along with the reblochon cheese and the potatoes there are lardons, onions and cream. It's one of those typical alpine dishes that are all about cheese, carbs and cured meats.

Ready for the oven.

Ingredients

1 - 1.5 kg potatoes (peeling is optional)

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

150 - 250 g smoked bacon lardons

150 ml dry white wine (obviously ideally AOC Savoie...but don't worry, I used my local Touraine)

200 ml cream

A whole reblochon cheese (don't be tempted to use the generic ones labelled 'fromage pour tartiflette' -- just not the same)

A clove of garlic, crushed

Salt and pepper

 

Method 

1. Steam the potatoes 10-15 minutes, until just barely cooked (they are better firm and undercooked than soft all the way through at this point).
2. Leave the potatoes to cool and dry.
3. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a frying pan and saute the onion and bacon until the onion is soft and beginning to brown.
4. Add the wine and reduce it to about a tablespoon or two.
5. Take off the heat and stir in the cream.
6. Heat the oven to 200C.
7. Dice the potatoes.
8. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a frying pan and saute the potatoes until golden.
9. Cut the cheese in half (so you have two discs).
10. Smear the garlic all over the inside of a round straight sided ceramic oven dish that has a diameter that is just a bit bigger than the cheese (like a large soufflé dish).
11. Put half the potatoes into the oven dish and level them out.
12. Top the potatoes with half the onion and bacon mix.
13. Season with a little salt and pepper.
14. Top with one half of the cheese, rind side up.
15. Repeat steps 11 to 14.
16. Bake for 30 minutes until bubbling.
17. Serves 4 - 6, with green salad and a glass of dry white wine.

Ingredients for tartiflette.

And here's one made earlier, by Simon.