Tartiflette

Name: Tartiflette: French Potato Bake with Bacon and Reblochon
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: French cuisine
Ingredients: Potatoes 4-5; Onion 2-3; Reblochon or similar cheese 150 g; Bacon 100 g; Cream (20%) 70 ml; Salt, black pepper to taste

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1 h

French tartiflette is a famous dish from Savoy, a region in the French Alps. It is potatoes baked with bacon. The highlight is melted Reblochon cheese, laid in pieces over the potatoes. Traditionally the dish is cooked in a steel skillet with a long handle and served at the table in the same pan. I read somewhere that the modern version of the dish appeared about half a century ago, although the first mentions of it date back to the 18th century.

Traditional Savoyard Reblochon (reblochon de Savoie) is quite rare where I live, though local “farmhouse” versions are often on sale. Depending on the region, people use Morbier, Fourme de Montbrison, Maroilles, Munster or Roucoulons. Some of them can be bought in big supermarkets, and I was surprised to find them there.

Most versions of the dish are modern or author’s interpretations. Often the potatoes are replaced with small pieces of buckwheat pasta called crozets. Different kinds of wine are used, or none at all. Recipes differ in so many details that similar dishes get other names than the traditional one, but the name still ends in “-flette”. The potatoes are boiled or fried, the bacon and onion are fried separately, everything goes into the pan, and big pieces of cut cheese are laid on top. And depending on the school (good grief, there are even schools!), the cheese goes rind down or rind up. Then everything is baked until done.

6 ingredientsTo the recipe

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Ingredients

2 servings

Potatoes 4-5
Onion 2-3
Reblochon or similar cheese 150 g
Bacon 100 g
Cream (20%) 70 ml
Salt, black pepper to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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Potato tartiflette baked in the oven is a simple dish. Although, I agree, you do have to find and buy the cheese. Ripe Reblochon has quite a sharp smell, so be prepared for that. That is why very young cheese is often preferred for the dish. It is a soft cheese with a so-called “washed rind”, light orange in colour with a whitish bloom. The flavour is rich, with nutty notes.
Choose the amount of potatoes so that they fill the whole skillet or baking dish. Have some cream ready, with more than 20% fat, because the creamy flavour of the dish is simply superb. I did not use garlic, as it is too aromatic. I also did not add wine or beer, although such versions are very common. For the bacon, sliced pork belly works great: it has plenty of meat and is fairly fatty.
The potatoes need some preparation. Some say the best tartiflette is made by frying the slices in oil. You can also boil the potatoes in their skins. Steaming or boiling in water is a good option too. In any case, the prepared potatoes must be peeled and cut into slices. Decide for yourself what is most convenient. I made it even easier: I baked the potatoes in their skins in the microwave almost until done, then peeled and sliced them.
If you do not have a traditional skillet, you can prepare the ingredients in an ordinary frying pan and then transfer everything to a baking dish. Cut the bacon or pork belly into long strips. Heat the pan and fry the bacon until it starts to render its fat and the meat turns lightly golden. Peel the onion and cut it into strips. Add the onion to the bacon and fry until soft and nicely golden.
Season everything with salt and pepper to taste. At this stage you can add the boiled potatoes to fry them lightly, which is up to you. In general, you can simply lay the potatoes over the bacon and onion. If you are using a baking dish, transfer the bacon to it and spread it out, then lay the potatoes on top in an even layer. If the tartiflette will be cooked in the same skillet, lay the potatoes directly in it.
You can add a little pepper to the potatoes. Pour a third of a cup of cream (200 ml) into the pan. The debate about whether cream is needed at all never dies down. Plain milk is often used, or there is no liquid in the recipe at all. It is hard to judge, but cream makes the flavour brighter, and overall the dish turns out tastier.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. The skillet should go into a hot oven. Next, cut the cheese. Most often it is sold as a whole “wheel” 3-4 cm high and 10-15 cm in diameter. There are even certain standards. Depending on the diameter of your skillet, slice the cheese through its thickness into layers so that they cover the potatoes completely. Lay the Reblochon in the skillet. I put it rind up, so apparently I belong to some school.
The potato bake takes 20-25 mins. During this time the cheese melts and the crust starts to turn golden. Never let the cheese darken sharply, and do not overbake it. You want only a beautiful baked blush. To serve, put it on plates or bring it to the table right in the skillet.
The dish turns out very nice with smoked bacon. Sometimes garlic and aromatic herbs are added during frying. Serve it hot, with a salad and white wine.