Tartiflette

Receipe from TVA Channel - translated into English
http://tva.canoe.ca/emissions/signem/recettes/recette-tartiflette-683356
No copyright infringment intended

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound of lardons, aka thick diced bacon (note: diced pancetta is also really good)
• 1 diced onion
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• Thyme leaves – 2 branches
• 1.25 pounds of oven baked Yukon Gold potatoes (note: for UK, regular baking potatoes. Avoid potatoes for mash, they won’t do)
• 1/2 cup of thick single cream (15% fat) (thick double cream is also suitable)
• Freshly grounded nutmeg – the quantity depends on personal taste
• 1/3 cup of white wine (or cider)
• 2/3 pound of Pied de Vent cheese, cut into 1.25cm (1/2") slices (note: Pied de Vent is specific to Canada, Québec more precisely. Tartiflette is originally made with Reblochon cheese, widely available in the UK, in stores that import French cheese).
• Salt and pepper - season according to taste

Preparation

 

Step 1

Preheat the oven at 220°C (450°F)

 

Step 2

• Fry the lardons in a pan, mid to high heat, until they're slightly golden. Do not add any fat in the pan to cook the lardons.
• Add the onion and let it caramelize with the lardons until the lardons are crispy. Add the garlic and the thyme leaves and let it stand for 1 minute in the pan. Remove the excess fat if necessary.

Step 3

• Peel the cooked* potatoes and slice them ( 0.5cm / 0.25" slices).
• Lay half of the potatoes in a gratin dish. Then lay half the lardons/garlic/onion/thyme mix on top of the potatoes. Repeat the operation with the rest of the potatoes and lardons. (note: you will have 4 layers in total - 2 layers of potatoes, 2 layers of lardons)

 

Step 4

In a small bowl, mix the cream and the nutmeg. Pour the preparation in the dish, and then pour the wine on top. Finally, lay the cheese slices. Don't remove the cheese crust. Let it cook for 25 minutes, or until the cheese becomes golden.

 

* Preparing the potatoes before making the Tartiflette:

Preheat the oven at 190°C (375°C). Wrap the potatoes individually in tin foil, and bake them for 40 minutes.

(If in a hurry, boiling the potatoes with their skin can be done instead. Boiling with the skin helps to keep the structure of the potatoes)