French Tartiflette: Bubbling Reblochon, Potato and Bacon Alpine Bake for Cold Lunches

Put the whole potatoes in a large pot of cold salted water, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes until just tender when pierced. Drain, cool for 10 minutes, then peel and slice into 1/4-inch (6 mm) rounds.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 pounds (1 kg) waxy potatoes such as Yukon Gold, scrubbed
• 7 ounces (200 g) thick-cut smoked bacon, cut into lardons
• 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, 1 halved and 1 minced
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine
• 2/3 cup (160 ml) creme fraiche or heavy cream
• 1 whole Reblochon cheese (about 1 pound / 450 g), or a mix of Camembert and Gruyere
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Fine salt, to taste
• Cornichons and a green salad with mustard vinaigrette, to serve

Instructions

1. Put the whole potatoes in a large pot of cold salted water, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes until just tender when pierced. Drain, cool for 10 minutes, then peel and slice into 1/4-inch (6 mm) rounds.
2. Heat the oven to 400F (200C). Rub the inside of a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking dish all over with the halved garlic clove, then butter it.
3. Cook the bacon lardons in a large skillet over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes until golden and the fat has rendered. Lift them out with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.
4. Add the onions to the bacon fat and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and lightly caramelized. Stir in the minced garlic for 1 minute.
5. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble until almost evaporated, scraping up the browned bits. Return the bacon to the pan, season with the pepper and nutmeg and remove from the heat.
6. Layer half the potato slices in the dish and season lightly with salt. Spread the onion and bacon mixture over them, spoon over half the creme fraiche, then top with the remaining potatoes and the rest of the creme fraiche.
7. Scrape the rind of the Reblochon lightly with a knife if it looks dusty, then cut the cheese in half horizontally through the middle. Lay both halves cut-side down on top of the potatoes so the rind faces up.
8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cheese has collapsed into the potatoes, the top is golden and blistered and the edges are bubbling. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
9. Serve hot straight from the dish with cornichons, a sharply dressed green salad and, if you like, the rest of the white wine.
10. Tartiflette looks like an ancient Savoyard farmhouse dish, but it was actually popularized in the 1980s by the Reblochon cheese board to boost sales of the soft, nutty washed-rind cheese made in the Haute-Savoie Alps. It borrowed from an older peasant dish called pela, potatoes and onions cooked in a long-handled pan, and quickly became the definitive apres-ski lunch. It is the kind of bake that makes a cold November afternoon feel like a reason to stay in.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 720 kcal
• Protein: 31g
• Fat: 45g
• Carbohydrates: 46g
• Fiber: 5g
• Sugar: 6g
• Sodium: 1150mg