Tartiflette

By Meredith Erickson

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This dish is potato gratin turned up to eleven: potatoes, crème fraîche, bacon, wine, and an entire wheel of cheese. You cannot travel through the Savoie without running into tartiflette—named after the old Savoyard word for potato, tartifle. Reblochon comes from the verb reblocher, which means “to milk a second time” (resulting in more cream in the milk). Only three breeds of cow produce the milk used to make AOC (Appelation d’origine controlée) Reblochon: the Abondance—you’re well acquainted with these girls—the Montbéliarde, and the Tarine. All of these cows can happily navigate mountainous terrain, which is crucial in the summer when they are moved up to Alpine meadows and milked at higher altitude for the season.

SERVES

TO

Ingredients

Oval baking dish that measures 34 by 19 by 6.5 centimeters

225 grams thick-sliced bacon, cut into lardons or diced
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
900 grams Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into medium dice
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (240 milliliters) Savoie white wine, such as Apremont, Chignin-Bergeron, or Roussette de Savoie
1/2 cup (120 milliliters) crème fraîche
1 wheel Reblochon cheese
1 garlic clove, smashed
Cornichons and/or Pickled Mushrooms to serve (optional)
Baguette or other crusty bread to serve (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a large sauté pan over medium-low heat, cook the bacon until it starts to render its fat and crisp slightly around the edges, about five minutes. Stir in the onions and cook until translucent, five to seven minutes. Stir in the butter, followed by the diced potatoes.
Turn the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes begin to soften, about five minutes. Season with the salt and pepper and pour in the wine. Continue to cook until the wine has been absorbed, five to seven minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the crème fraîche.
Scrape any white mold off the skin of the Reblochon to reveal its saffron-orange rind. Take the cheese wheel and cut it across the center into two “full moon” halves. Then cut each moon into two half-moons.
Rub the inside of a baking dish all over with the smashed garlic. Spoon in half of the potato-bacon mixture. Top with two of the Reblochon half-moons, rind-side down. Add the rest of the potato-bacon mixture and top with the remaining cheese half-moons, rind-side up.
Bake until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes.
Serve the tartiflette with cornichons and/or pickled mushrooms and a nice loaf of crusty bread, if desired.