Tartiflette
=========== 2026-03-14 *


Comment: A typical Savoyard dish, tartiflette is a potato gratin with Reblochon cheese and lardons. It's a rather rich dish, ideal for slightly chilly days. The cheese to use is Reblochon from Savoy, but other cheeses can work, for example, Vacherin Mont-d'Or, or even Taleggio, but it won't be a true tartiflette.
The choice of Reblochon is important. Reblochon comes from various origins, but those from Savoy are found in two categories: those with a green label (farmhouse Reblochon) and those with a red label (dairy Reblochon). Farmhouse Reblochon, with the green label, seems to be the best choice (more flavorful, creamier). The recipe calls for cream, but with a good, creamy Reblochon, use as little as possible, or even none at all. As for the potatoes, their cooking time depends on their size. They won't cook much more in the oven, so they need to be parboiled thoroughly; a skewer should penetrate almost to the center. Keeping the Reblochon in the refrigerator can help with slicing, although it's typically a difficult task because the cheese is so creamy.

For the gratin dish, I used one that was 16 x 16 cm and 6 cm high for two people, and it was just right. For four people, you'll need a little more than double the size.

Serves 4

Inspired by: Tartiflette Savoyarde : La Vraie Recette au Reblochon Fermier

Ingredients:
------------

1 Reblochon cheese (preferably with a green label) ~450g
300g smoked bacon lardons
1kg firm potatoes
3 large or 4 medium onions
3 garlic cloves
200ml dry white wine
200ml cream (optional)
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
------------

Parboil the unpeeled potatoes for 20-30 minutes in salted water, then let them cool slightly in the sink.

Sauté the bacon lardons, then set them aside on paper towels.

In the same pan, sweat and lightly caramelize the thinly sliced onions using the bacon fat. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves while cooking. Stir in the bacon. Add the white wine, reduce by half to evaporate the alcohol, remove from the heat, season with pepper, and set aside.

Peel and slice the potatoes into 5 mm thick rounds, do not make too large slices, cut then in 2 or 4 depending on size.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

Rub a gratin dish with the remaining garlic clove, cut in half, then butter the dish.

Now it's time to cut the Reblochon cheese. Ideally, you want to cover the dish with both sides of the cheese and add the middle layer between the two potato slices. To do this, cut and set aside both sides of the cheese (or just one if you're making a tartiflette for two). The remaining cheese will be cut into small cubes when assembling the dish.

Arrange a layer of potatoes in the bottom of the dish, spread half of the onion mixture over them, then a layer of cubed Reblochon cheese, followed by the remaining potatoes and the rest of the onion mixture.

Add the cream, but no more than halfway up the dish, depending on whether your Reblochon is very creamy or too rich.

Place the Reblochon, rind side up, on top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. You may need to turn on the broiler for a few minutes at the end.

Let it rest for 5 minutes, then serve with a green salad.