My friend Florent is possible the biggest cheese lover you´ll ever meet. And yes, you guessed it, he is French. In the years we´ve been friends he´s taught me plenty about all kinds of French cheeses and how to best pair them with all sorts of French wine. But by far his best culinary contribution to my world was the day he made a tartiflette for the #guestchefseries. This #homemadeMonday you´ll finally get access to this most infamous dish. The tartiflette dish is from the Savoy area of the French alps and dates all the way back to the beginning of the 1700s, when it was first mentioned in a cook book. The centre element of the dish is the potato, along with the reblochon cheese. But while delicious, it´s a rather heavy dish. Which is why it´s so popular in ski resorts, where it warms people´s hearts and bellies. So if you want to go for it, make sure you have a day of laying down ahead of you, and a good white wine to pair it with.
Ingredients
(serves 5/6)
1.5 kg potatoes
2 onions
400g smoked bacon cubes
200ml white wine
500g reblochon cheese
(alternatively you could use any of the following cheeses: camembert, raclette or even comté or gruyère – this last one sliced very thinly as it takes a while to melt)
400g creme fraiche
salt and pepper
olive oil
spring onions for serving
Instructions
1. Peel the potatoes, cut them in cubes and boil them for 20 minutes in water with a pinch of salt.
2. In the meantime, horizontally cut the cap of the reblochon cheese, set it aside and slice the rest of the cheese in 0.5 cm slices.
3. Chop the onion and fry it until golden in a large pan along with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Add the bacon and wine to the pan and cover with a lid for the whole thing to cook in its own steam.
5. Smear a large casserole dish (I used a cocotte) with butter and add a layer of: boiled potatoes, creme fraiche, onion and bacon, sliced reblochon. Repeat the layers another time, finishing off with the cap of the reblochon cheese cut in quarters and some final bacon cubes on top.
6. Add to the oven (without a lid) and bake at 200 degrees for some 40 minutes.
7. Serve with some spring onions on top, a light salad with a vinaigrette sauce and a chilled glass of white wine next to it.
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