Tartiflette

Despite its rustic image it is a modern dish: one story says the Reblochon trade body invented it in the 1980s to sell more cheese, though the body’s own director has credited a La Clusaz restaurateur instead.

Potatoes, onions and bacon lardons baked or cooked under melting Reblochon; at winter and Christmas markets it bubbles in giant pans and is scooped into takeaway trays.

What is Tartiflette?

Tartiflette is a baked dish from the French Alps of potatoes, bacon lardons and onions cooked in white wine, topped with Reblochon, a soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Savoie region, which melts into the potatoes under a golden crust. At winter and Christmas markets it is cooked in huge pans and served in takeaway trays, and at home it is a one-dish meal for cold weather. The name is usually traced to tartifla, a Savoyard word for potato.

Despite its rustic image, the modern dish is often described as a fairly recent creation. In its current form it appears on ski-resort menus in the 1980s, and the Reblochon producers' trade body is widely reported to have promoted it to sell more cheese; some accounts instead credit an unnamed restaurateur in La Clusaz, so the exact origin is uncertain. It draws on an older Savoyard dish of potatoes, onions and cheese called the péla, so the idea is old even if the name and the recipe are modern.

How to make tartiflette in the oven with Reblochon

Serves 4 · prep 25 min · cook 55 min

Ingredients

• 1 kg waxy potatoes (such as Charlotte or Maris Peer), unpeeled, scrubbed
• 1 teaspoon salt for the potato water, plus a pinch for the onions
• 200 g smoked bacon lardons
• 2 medium onions (about 300 g), thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus a little for the dish
• 150 ml dry white wine (a dry Alpine white from Savoie if you can find one, otherwise any dry, crisp white)
• 1 whole Reblochon of about 450 g
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• Freshly ground black pepper
• To serve: a green salad with a sharp mustard vinaigrette (1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons oil, pinch of salt)

Method

1. Put the potatoes in a large pan of cold water with 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to the boil and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until a knife goes in with a little resistance but the potatoes are not falling apart. Drain, and when cool enough to handle, peel and cut into slices about 5 mm thick.
2. Heat the oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan, gas 7). Rub a baking dish of about 30 x 20 cm with the cut garlic, then lightly butter it.
3. Fry the lardons in a large frying pan over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.
4. Add the tablespoon of butter and the onions to the pan with a pinch of salt. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and lightly golden.
5. Pour in the wine, scrape up the browned bits, and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until it has reduced by about half. Add the potato slices and the lardons, season with plenty of pepper, and fold together gently. The lardons and cheese are salty, so taste before adding any salt.
6. Tip into the dish and level it. Scrape the rind lightly if you wish, but it is edible and many cooks leave it on. Cut the Reblochon in half horizontally, to make two thin discs, and lay them on the potatoes cut side down, rind side up. Or cut it into thin slices and cover the surface.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the edges of the dish are bubbling and golden, and the centre is piping hot all the way through. Rest for 5 minutes, then serve with the salad.

Tips

• Use waxy potatoes. Floury types break up into mash, though they do absorb more of the wine.
• Do not skip pre-boiling. Raw potatoes need far longer in the oven and the cheese would burn.
• Cutting the cheese in two horizontally and laying the rind side up gives the classic shield of melted cheese with a golden top.
• Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge. Reheat until piping hot.

Regional versions

• Some recipes stir 100 to 150 ml of crème fraîche into the potatoes for a creamier dish. Others add a crushed garlic clove to the onions.
• Smoked ham or pancetta can replace the lardons, and a vegetarian version replaces them with sautéed mushrooms.
• Substitutes for Reblochon are not the same. Taleggio is the closest in style, a washed-rind Italian cheese that melts well, though its flavour is sharper. Raclette cheese, Saint-Nectaire, Munster or a ripe Camembert will all give a good bake, but each tastes noticeably different. In some countries, such as the United States, traditional raw-milk Reblochon is often hard to find because of rules on importing raw-milk cheese, and pasteurised look-alikes taste different. A substitute makes a good dish, but not an authentic tartiflette.
• Some people who are pregnant or have weakened immune systems avoid soft rind cheeses even when baked. If that applies to you, check current food safety guidance first.

Questions

What is tartiflette?

A baked dish from the Savoie region of the French Alps made with potatoes, lardons, onions and white wine, topped with melted Reblochon cheese.

What does tartiflette mean?

The name is usually traced to tartifla, a Savoyard word for potato.

Is tartiflette a traditional dish?

Partly. It is based on older Alpine potato-and-cheese dishes, but the modern recipe dates from around the 1980s and is widely reported to have been promoted by Reblochon producers.

What can I use instead of Reblochon?

Taleggio is the nearest. Raclette cheese, Saint-Nectaire or Munster also work, but the flavour will differ.

What do you serve with tartiflette?

A sharp green salad and a glass of dry white wine are the usual partners, as the dish is very rich.

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