Tartiflette Savoyarde

About This Recipe

Tartiflette is the most defining dish of the French Alps — a deep gratin of sliced potatoes, smoky lardons, sweet onions softened in white wine, and an entire wheel of Reblochon cheese cut in half horizontally and laid rind-up across the top. Baked until the cheese melts down through the potatoes into a creamy, woodsy, slightly funky sauce, tartiflette is the dish skiers eat at the end of a long day on the piste. Its name comes from the Savoyard word tartiflâ (potato), and although it is often presented as ancient, the modern recipe was largely invented in the 1980s by the Reblochon cheese industry to boost sales. It worked brilliantly: tartiflette is now the signature plate of every alpine refuge from Chamonix to Megève.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1.2 kgwaxy potatoes (Yukon gold, Charlotte, or Désirée)
• 250 gsmoked lardons (or thick-cut bacon, diced)
• 2 largeyellow onions, finely sliced
• 2 clovesgarlic, minced
• 200 mldry white wine (preferably Savoie)
• 100 mlcrème fraîche
• 1 good gratingfresh nutmeg
• 1 tspfine salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 1 whole wheel (450 g)Reblochon de Savoie (or substitute a soft-rind washed-rind cheese)
• 1 tbspbutter (for the dish)
• green salad and cornichons to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Boil the potatoes

   Wash potatoes (don't peel — the skins are part of the texture). Boil whole in salted water for 18–20 minutes until just tender but still firm. Drain and cool 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Slice the potatoes

   Slice the cooked potatoes into 5 mm rounds. Set aside.

3. 3

   Render the lardons

   Heat a wide skillet over medium. Add lardons. Cook 6–8 minutes until golden and most of the fat has rendered. Lift onto a plate; leave the fat in the pan.

4. 4

   Soften the onions

   Add sliced onions to the bacon fat. Cook 12 minutes, stirring, until soft and lightly golden. Add garlic; cook 1 minute.

5. 5

   Deglaze with wine

   Pour in white wine. Simmer briskly 4 minutes until reduced by half. Stir in crème fraîche, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cook 2 more minutes.

6. 6

   Build the gratin

   Butter a deep oven dish (about 25×35 cm). Layer half the sliced potatoes, then all the lardons, then the onion-cream mixture. Top with the remaining potatoes. Season lightly.

7. 7

   Crown with cheese

   With a long sharp knife, slice the whole Reblochon horizontally through its middle into two equal discs (you'll have two thinner wheels). Place both halves rind-up on top of the gratin so they cover the surface.

8. 8

   Bake

   Bake at 200°C for 25–30 minutes until the cheese has melted, run down through the potatoes, and the top is patchy golden-brown. The kitchen will smell like an alpine refuge.

9. 9

   Rest briefly

   Rest 8 minutes — the cheese sets slightly and the layers come together. Spoon onto warm plates.

10. 10

    Serve

    Serve with a green salad sharply dressed in walnut-oil vinaigrette and a small pile of cornichons. A glass of Apremont or Roussette de Savoie alongside.

Variations

• •

  Crozeflette: add cooked crozets (small Savoyard pasta squares) for a heartier version.

• •

  Vegetarian tartiflette: skip the lardons, use mushrooms sautéed in butter instead.

• •

  Add a layer of thinly sliced apple between the potatoes — sweet and unusual.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat covered at 180°C for 20 minutes; the cheese rebloomscompletely. Do not freeze (the texture turns grainy).

Frequently Asked Questions