Recipe: Reblochon and Potato Tartiflette

the appetizer:

Get ready for holiday parties with Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials, featuring recipes like Frangelico Figs with Creamy Blue Cheese; Mushroom Toasts with Rocchetta; and Reblochon and Potato Tartiflette.

Reblochon and
Potato Tartiflette

Serves 8 to 10

Rumor has it that this recipe was created by the promoters of Reblochon and therefore is not deeply rooted in the culinary traditions of the Savoie where Reblochon is made. Regardless, this gratinlike dish is one you will likely make over and over because of the delectable combination of onions, bacon, and melted cheese. If you do not care for a strong cheese like Reblochon or cannot get it, then use another flavorful cheese such as Appenzeller, raclette (rind removed), or almost any washed-rind or creamy surface-ripened cheese.

4 slices thick-sliced bacon cut crosswise
into 1/4-inch pieces (or use 1/4 pound pancetta)
1 medium onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 pound Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoes,
peeled and sliced cross-wise 1/4-inch thick
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
5 ounces Reblochon cheese, cut into 1/4-inch slices
(or use Livarot, Munster, Appenzeller, raclette, or Gruyère).
If the cheese is sticky, pinch off pieces instead of cutting slices.
1/2 cup cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium-size sauté pan, cook the bacon until brown and crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Remove all but 1 tablespoon fat. Sauté the onions in the bacon fat until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes.

Place half the potato slices in a 9-inch pie plate or shallow oval pan. Sprinkle with a touch of salt and pepper (remember that the cheese and bacon are both salty). Sprinkle half the onions over the potato slices followed by half the bacon, and half the cheese. Repeat with remaining potatoes, onions, bacon and cheese. Pour cream over the top and around the edges.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and the tartiflette is brown and bubbly. Let sit 15 minutes before serving. This allows the cream and potatoes to set up (otherwise, it's too runny).

from:
Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials
An Insider's Guide to Buying and Serving Cheese
by Laura Werlin
Stewart, Tabori & Chang 2007
272 pages, Flexibind, US $24.95
Photographs by Maren Caruso
ISBN-10: 1-5847-9627-8
ISBN-13: 9781584796275
Recipe reprinted by permission.

Buy Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials