My Tartiflette Recipe

I have never posted a recipe before, but to follow up the Haute-Savoie post I think a local recipe will give a good flavour of local food. So, here goes with my version of a Tartiflette. With salad it should serve a family of four, or 2-3 hungry skiers. The quantities are approximate, as I am a "throw it in till it looks right" kind of cook.

Ingredients:

1 kg (2lb) potatoes, peeled and sliced
200g (1/2 lb) lardons (or smoked bakon, diced)
1 large onion
A clove or two of garlic
1/2 litre (1 pint) double cream
1 whole Reblochon cheese - preferably a ripe mature one
Salt and pepper
Olive oil for frying
A little white wine (optional)

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to about 170 Centigrade, Gas Mark 4
• Finely chop the onion and saute in a little olive oil until soft
• Chop or crush the garlic
• Add the garlic and bacon to the onions and saute until browned
• Place the sliced potatoes and the onion and bacon mixture in a large gratin dish in alternate layers so they are roughly mixed together
• Season with salt and pepper
• Pour the cream over the top until it almost covers the mixture
• You can add a little white wine at this point - for authenticity it should be a Savoyarde wine but I wouldn't buy one specially.
  
• Slice the Reblochon in half horizontally, so you have two circles, then place the two halves skin side up on top of the dish. As it cooks the cheese will melt through the potatoes.
• Bake until the potatoes are tender - roughly one to one and a half hours.
  

If you cannot find a Reblochon you can substitute another sufficiently smelly ripe old cheese. This is just the way I make it, but there are lots of variations. Bon Apetit