Tartiflette
This hearty cheese, ham and potato dish was actually only invented in the 1980’s by the Reblochon trade union in an effort to market their cheese. It is, none the less, a delicious and rich dish that is particularly suited to the cold weather of the mountainous region of the Savoy where it was invented.
Ingredients
- 600g floury potato (4)
- 140g pancetta (or smoked bacon)
- 500g Reblochon (or ripe Brie or Camembert)
- 110g shallot (2) or onion (1)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves
- 200ml double cream
- 400ml milk
- 15g unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°c.
- Slice the potato, peel and slice the shallot or onion, peel and finely chop the garlic, slice the cheese, cut the pancetta into lardons.
- In a frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over a medium heat, then put in the pancetta and fry it for about 5 minutes, until it starts to turn brown at the edges. Then remove it from the pan and put it onto a plate to one side, keeping any fat in the pan.
- In the same pan, heat up the butter and, when it is foaming, put in the shallot or onion and fry it for about 5 minutes until it has started to soften and turn brown. Then put in the garlic and cook it for 30 seconds before transferring it all to the same plate as the pancetta.
- In a large saucepan over a medium heat, put in the cream, the milk and the sliced potato. Bring it to the boil, then turn down the heat to low and gently simmer it for 5 minutes, carefully stirring it every minute to make sure the potato does not stick to the bottom of the pan but without breaking the potato slices.
- Add the thyme leaves, pancetta, shallot and garlic to the potato mixture, season it with pepper, and gently fold them in, taking care not to break up the potato.
- Using a slotted spoon, place half of the potato in a layer into an oven proof dish. Then put the pancetta and onion into the dish, making a layer on top of the potato, and then put in the slices of cheese on top. Put the rest of the potato mixture on top and finally pour over all the remaining milk from the pan. Lightly season the top with more pepper.
- Put the dish on to a baking tray (in case it spills over the edge) and put it into the oven for 40 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve. We suggest serving it with a salad. It’s quite rich.
Useful Information
Can it be frozen? Yes.
Can it be prepared in advance? Yes, it can be finished up to 1 day in advance and reheated in a microwave or oven.
Will leftovers be nice? Yes, for up to 1 day.