How to make tartiflette at home

The Alps are highly regarded for their mountain cuisine, with skiers and snowboarders drooling over Savoyard dishes such as fondue, raclette and the main feature of this article, tartiflette.

Many of us may have been under the impression that tartiflette is a traditional mountain meal, passed down through the generations but as it turns out, unlike some of its cheesy menu companions, this Alpine favourite is relatively new to the scene. Created in the 1980’s by the producers of Reblochon cheese, the dish was originally a marketing ploy to boost sales of the cheese. We’d say it worked pretty well!

Reblochon has a pretty interesting background itself. In the 16th century, farmers who had had enough of the tax on their milk, would milk the cows until they were only half-way done. They would then pay the tax for this and finish the job, essentially evading tax. In order to avoid charges for tax evasion, the farmers had to use this milk and so, made cheese. The name Reblochon comes from the word reblocher, which means ‘to milk again’.

Created in the Haute-Savoie region of France, tartiflette’s name most likely derives from the Savoyard word for potatoes, tartifles. Normally the dish is made with potatoes, onions, lardons and of course, Reblochon cheese - though there are many variations that taste just as good.

The best areas to taste a tartiflette savoyarde in the Alps would be anywhere around the Les Portes du Soleil and Grand Massif ski areas as these are in the Haute-Savoie region.

Read on for a classic tartiflette recipe as well as some suggestions to shake things up a bit!

Ingredients to feed 4-6 people:

• 1kg any waxy potatoes you can get your hands on
• 200g Bacon lardons
• 2 Shallots finely sliced
• 1 Garlic clove
• 150ml white wine
• 200ml creme fraiche/double cream
• Salt and pepper
• 1 whole Reblochon cheese, sliced
• Butter for frying

Substitutes for Reblochon:

• Gruyère
• Port Salut
• Muenster

Classic method:

1. Preheat your oven to 200C or 180C for fan ovens
2. Peel and cut the potatoes into 1cm rounds or small cubes
3. Boil the potatoes in a saucepan until slightly tender, then drain and set aside to cool
4. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan with a bit of butter in and fry the bacon and shallots until golden-brown
5. Pour in the white wine and continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated, then mix in the cream and season with salt and pepper
6. Cut a clove of garlic in half, get your oven-proof dish and rub the freshly cut clove along the sides and bottom of the dish
7. Start creating the layers in the dish- first the potatoes, then the creamy bacon mixture topped with slices of Reblochon. Repeat this until the dish is full with a layer of cheese at the top
8. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is golden-brown and bubbling
9. Serve with a side of salad or some French cornichons and tuck in!

Shake things up:

Swap the bacon lardons for chunks of chorizo or smoked salmon & greens For a crispier texture, lightly fry the potatoes until golden before layering them in the dish Swap the potatoes for buckwheat Crozet pasta and mix with the bacon, shallots & cream rather than layering to make another traditional Alpine dish, Croziflette We hope you enjoy making tartiflette at home but if you’d rather appreciate it in its point of origin, get in touch with our team to book your next holiday to the Alps! If you can’t find what you are looking for on our website then email our team with your request: enquiries@ernalow.co.uk or give our knowledgeable consultants a call on 020 7584 2841.