Tartiflette
Sliced potatoes layered with vegetarian lardons, sweet onions, and white wine, then covered with a whole round of Reblochon cheese and baked until the cheese melts into this impossibly creamy, molten blanket. The potatoes go soft and wine-soaked and the Reblochon melts into every layer with its funky, earthy richness. It's absurdly indulgent and properly comforting. Rich, gooey, smoky and utterly addictive.
Ingredients
- 1 kg waxy firm potatoes Charlotte, Roseval, or Waitrose Essential Red Potatoes
- 250 gr smoked plant-based lardons
- 1 onion
- 450 gr Reblochon cheese
- 250 ml double cream or plant based double cream
- 125 ml dry white wine optional, traditionally from Savoie
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- salt and black pepper
Equipment
Instructions
- 1. Cook the potatoesWash the potatoes and cook them whole, skin on, in a large pot of salted water for about 20 minutes, until just tender but not falling apart as they will finish cooking in the oven. Drain, let cool slightly, then peel and cut into thin slices.
- 2. Prepare onions and lardonsPeel and finely slice the onions. Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the onions and cook gently until translucent. Add the vegetarian smoked lardons and fry together until both are golden and fragrant.
- 3. Deglaze (optional)Pour in the white wine and let it bubble for a minute to deglaze the pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the double cream. Season with pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Taste before adding salt, as vegetarian smoked lardons and cheese are already salty.
- 4. Layer the tartifletteIn your ovenproof baking dish, layer potatoes, then some of the onion-lardons-cream mixture. Repeat as many times as you like, making sure each layer is well distributed.If you want it extra cheesy, you can buy a second Reblochon and add slices of cheese in the layers as well as on top. This guarantees gooey cheese throughout the whole dish.
- 5. Add the ReblochonSlice the Reblochon in half horizontally to make two thinner rounds. Place the halves rind side up over the top of the dish (or cut into thick slices and distribute evenly).
- 6. BakeBake in the centre of the oven for 45–50 minutes, until the cheese is melted, golden, and bubbling, and the potatoes are tender all the way through.
Notes
- Reblochon is essential for authenticity. If you can’t find it, a strong, creamy cheese like raclette or a robust brie will do, but it just won’t be quite the same.
- Some French cooks skip the cream, letting the cheese do all the work, but most traditional recipes include it for extra richness.
- Tartiflette is pure winter comfort, don’t even think about calories!