Jean-Luc’s Tartiflette
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
serves 4 for a main course, 8 as a side dish
Great for: a winter meal or a side dish with poultry
Wine suggestion: Sauvignon Blanc
8 to 10 medium-sized red potatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped lardons or pancetta,
cubed
1 medium onion, sliced in rounds and halved
2–3 garlic cloves, de-germed, and finely minced
3 healthy pinches herbes de Provence
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 round Reblochon cheese, the ‘real’ recette, or one round of Brie as a subsitution*
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water
to a boil. Peel potatoes, if preferred. Boil for 12 to 16 minutes until the
potatoes are soft enough to be pierced with a fork, but not cooked through.
Drain, set aside, and let cool. In a pan, cook lardons
until golden, around 4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic to the pan, cooking
for another 5 minutes. Set aside. Once cool enough to handle, slice the
potatoes in rounds, about ½ -inch-thick rounds. Place the potatoes in a lightly
oiled 9 x 12-inch baking dish. Mix the lardon, onion,
and garlic mixture into the potatoes, followed by the crème
fraîche and wine. Add the herbes de Provence and
the nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
Slice the cheese round
in half crosswise so you have 2 rounds. Cut each of the 2 rounds into 4 pieces,
totaling 8 pieces of cheese.
Place the slices of cheese on the potato mixture,
skin side up. Bake for 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a
crispy endive salad with lemon vinaigrette.
* A true tartiflette uses
Reblochon cheese, but it might be hard to find outside of France. If using
Brie, add an additional 1/4 cup dry white wine, one tablespoon ground mustardseed,
and more freshly ground pepper to the potato mixture.
