Tartiflette – Baked Potatoes, Cheese, Lardons & Onions
Tartiflette – Baked Potatoes, Cheese, Lardons & Onions
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A Decadant Combo of Cheese and Potatoes!
Tartiflette is an institution in France. A decadent gratin of sautéed potatoes cooked with onions, lardons and wine before being topped with creamy nutty Reblochon cheese, the star of this dish – Cheese lovers this one is for you!
The ingredients may sound boring but the thing that makes Tartiflette special is the Reblochon topping. Right before baking, wedges of soft-rind cheese are placed on top to melt in the oven, creating a blanket of cheese over the entire gratin! It’s pure decadence and combines potatoes and cheese in the most luxurious way possible!
This blog is all about spicy food but every now and then I like to share other dishes I have tried and loved at home!
What is Tartiflette?
Tartiflette is a French recipe from Savoy in the French Alpes. It is a popular winter dish. It is an indulgent, heavy, stodgy dish perfect for a cold winter evening or an after ski meal! So its the perfect season for it!
I had never heard of Tartiflette until meeting my French husband. His family are from the department above Haute-Savoie, L’ain. This is also in the Rhone Alpes region of France where everyone is big on cheese and lots of recipes include it! This is only the second time I’m making this dish but apparently I nailed it the first time anyway. Thats coming from a real cheese loving French family!
There are just 5 ingredients needed to make a good Tartiflette. The Reblochon cheese, potatoes, onions, lardons, wine and cream. That is all you need for this indulgent recipe. Even the wine and cream are optional and not everyone includes them in the dish.
What do i Need?
- Reblonchon – this is a specific cheese made in the Alpine region of Haute-Savoie. It is made from raw cows milk and has its own AOC designation.
- Potatoes – for this recipe you’re going to want to use a nice small waxy potato. For my europeans charlotte potatoes and Americans yukon gold are great options.
- Lardons – are a small strip or cube of fatty bacon. They are yummy and add big flavour to dishes. I suggest using smoked lardons.
- Onions – this staple ingredient will add some sweetness and texture to the dish.
- White Wine – you don’t need to add wine and many recipes say its optional but I have tried both ways and its much better with wine! So if you’ve got some cooking wine or leftover from last nights dinner all you need is a generous splash.
- Cream – same goes for the cream its optional and not every recipe calls for it. However, it does add more depth of flavour and creaminess to the final dish.
Fry the potatoes in Duck Fat!
This is a very untraditional ingredient to this recipe. Tartiflette is from the Haute-Savoie department in eastern France. I live in Landes a department in the south west of France. Here duck is a big part of the local cuisine, its even know as duck country!
I tried this the last time I made Tartiflette because I had some duck fat in the fridge and thought why not sauté the potatoes in this instead of sunflower oil for more flavour. It was no surprise that it worked well and added a little je ne sais quoi to the dish.
Plus it even got the approval of my eastern french in laws! So if you’ve got some in the fridge give it a go for an even more indulgent experience.
Tips & Tricks
- Buy potatoes that are meant for sautéing or roasting. The potatoes will be sautéed first and then baked. You want them nice and fluffy in the middle once done.
- Some recipes slice the potatoes like you would for Dauphinois. Traditionally the recipe calls for the potatoes to be quartered or cubed. This is for a more chunky rustic look plus its easier!
- Be sure to use real Reblochon cheese for authentic flavour. Many supermarkets sell cheese for Tartiflette but this is not the same nor as good.
- Fry the potatoes in duck fat for a super decadent dish!
Tartiflette Serving Suggestions
Tartiflette is a heavy and decadent winter dish best enjoyed alone! Purists and the Savoyards I know eat the dish alone and may just serve it with a fresh green salad on the side.
This is what we do at our house with a nice honey and mustard dressing for some added heat and sweetness!
Tartiflette
Ingredients
- 1 kg potatoes peeled and quartered
- 300 grams lardons
- 1 reblochon cheese
- 2 brown onions diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup white wine
- ⅓ cup single cream
- 1 tbsp duck fat optional
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- sprinkle of salt
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes then cut into quarters and put into a bowl with cold water to soak for 5-10 minutes.
- While the potatoes are soaking, dice the onions, mince garlic and set aside into separate dishes.
- Heat a large deep frying pan till hot then throw in the lardons. Stir every 1-2 minutes and fry until the fat has rendered and the lardons are crispy.
- Once crispy remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl reserving the left behind fat.
- Return pan to heat and add the diced onions. Sauté for 4 minutes before adding 1 tbsp of duck fat. Once the fat has melted add the garlic and potatoes and stir well.
- Pre-heat the oven to 190°C.
- Leave the potatoes to brown stirring every 2 minutes for about 6 minutes. Once browned add 1/4 cup water and turn heat to low and cover.
- After 6 minutes open, stir and recover. Cook for another 10-20 minutes until the potatoes are almost cooked through.
- Next cut the reblochon into quarters. Cut down the middle then down the middle again 2 or 3 more times until you have 6 of 8 pieces and set aside.
- Back at the potatoes uncover and turn the heat up to high. Add the white wine allow to cook off for about 3-4 minutes then add the cream and lardons and stir everything together until combined.
- Leave to cook for 3-4 minutes then cut the heat and pour the mixture into the oven dish.
- Grind some fresh black pepper over the potatoes, a pinch of salt and drizzle on a little extra cream. Finally cover with some optional grated Gruyère and the reblochon chunks.
- Put in the pre-heated oven and cook for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and crisped up.
- Your tartiflette is ready leave to rest 5-7 minutes before serving with a nice green salad!
Did you try this Tartiflette Recipe?
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m here to help! If you loved this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment and rating below! Let me know how it turned out for you and share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at @chilliandlife and hashtag it #chilliandlife ! I’ll be sure to share it!
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