Tartiflette

A community recipe by leiladukes

Not tested or verified by Nigella.com

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Introduction

This is a classic French bistro dish which I fell in love with when I lived in the Alps for a season. Traditionally it uses Reblochon cheese, which is a Savoie speciality, and is definitely worth sourcing! The recipe and method itself is very simple, with few ingredients, yet it produces a filling dish which needs only a crisp green salad (and some wine!) as an accompaniment.

Ingredients

Serves: 4 - 6

2 handfuls pancetta (or chopped smokey bacon - generous handfuls)
1 reblochon cheese (halved crossways along its equator - basically you want the top or the bottom half, round with the crust still on but a good bit of the gooey centre attached - those in the know eat the crust, it's t
olive oil
salt
freshly ground pepper
1 splash of white wine (optional)
6 medium potatoes (waxy, sliced fairly thinly - I don't bother to peel them, it's been drilled into my head by my mother that the skins are good for you and anyway, I tend to choose pretty red-skinned potatoes)
2 onions (sliced into half-moons)
2 cloves crushed garlic

Method

Tartiflette is a community recipe submitted by leiladukes and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

Boil the sliced potatoes until al dente, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile fry the onions and garlic in a small amount of olive oil (the fat rendered from the bacon later and the richness of the cheese means you should really go easy on the oil when possible!) until soft.

Add the bacon and fry together until the bacon is cooked and the onion is caramelised in the juices. If using wine, add a splash and let it cook down into the other ingredients.

In a oven-proof dish, put a layer of the sliced potatoes along the bottom, and sprinkle over some of the onion/bacon mix in another layer on top. (I have read that some people butter the dish beforehand, but it's so rich anyway that I don't bother: I figure the extra effort needed to scrub afterwards burns off the extravagant calories!) Season with salt and pepper (easy on the salt, the bacon and cheese is salty already).

Add another layer of potato, top again with bacon/onion, season. Keep going in this manner until you've used everything up or your dish becomes too full, whichever happens first.

Finish with a layer of potato. Place one half of the reblochon, crust up, on top of the layers. If your dish is relatively small, leave the reblochon half intact as it will spread over and coat the layers as it melts, but if its surface is larger you may need to break it up a bit so to help it spread, or even use some of the other half.

Bake in a preheated, moderately hot oven until the cheese melts and bubbles. Allow to cool slightly to avoid tongue-burning on cheese, and devour!

Note: there is no one definitive recipe for tartiflette, although rural French villagers will argue otherwise, that theirs is the 'proper' way! I've eaten it this way in layers, or with diced potato that is added to the bacon and onion in the frying stage, then topped with cheese and baked, and also with the cheese added to the frying pan and melted down for an even easier, one-pot meal. I prefer it this way as it's like a pie, but feel free to experiment: as long as you have the base of potatoes, onions, lardons and reblochon you will evoke the taste of tartiflette regardless of how you choose to combine the ingredients.

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What 1 Other has said

I have never eaten this in France without cream featuring pretty heavily. I think this recipe is enhanced with a good dollop of cream drizzled over before the Reblochon is placed on top. Calories I know but ooh it is worth it.

Posted by Marj Jeffs on 14th February 2014

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