The impression you get up here in the mountains of Haute Savoie, France is that the classic dish consumed by the locals since time immemorial is tartiflette.
However, this dish was was developed in the 1980s by the Union Interprofessional Reblochon to promote sales of the local eponymous cheese! This modern recipe was inspired by a truly traditional dish called péla: a gratin of potatoes, onions and cheese made in a long-handled pan called pelagic (shovel).
I have enjoyed tartiflette in many local restaurants, always using different recipes. So when Janet stayed with us last week I watched how she prepared her version of it – thank you Janet!
Ingredients
1 kg (2lb 3oz) waxy potatoes, peeled
20g (¾oz) unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
200g (7oz) bacon lardons
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, carefully washed, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
150ml (5fl oz) stock
mixed herbs
1 Reblochon, about 450g (1lb), sliced but only when needed
150g crème fraiche
Smidgin paprika, salt and pepper
Method
Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain.
When cool enough to handle, slice them lengthways – about the thickness of a pencil.
Heat butter and oil and cook the lardons to colour them; add the onions and leeks and cook until soft, adding the garlic after a couple of minutes.
Pour in stock then add ¾ of the crème fraiche and stir mixture together, whilst bringing to a simmer, taking care not to boil.
Season carefully – remember the cheese will be slightly salty.
Pour this mixture into an oval or round oven-proof dish (here we used a 14in oval dish) and spread to cover the base.
Cover the mixture with half the sliced potatoes and half the sliced Reblochon, then again with the remaining potatoes and cheese.
Dot with the remaining ¼ crème fraiche and sprinkle of paprika.
Cook in oven at 180°C for 25 minutes till all is bubbling and top is slightly browned.
Serve with a well dressed green salad and enjoy with a good white Roussette de Savoie.
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No need to resort to tinned tartiflette, as it is such an easy dish to prepare!
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You mean to tell me tartiflette was a marketing gimmick from the 80′s!!!??! Gotta hand it to those French, when they put their mind to it, they can be master marketeers!
Oh yes, very canny, as there is a lot of cheese in Haute Savoie!