This Dame Cooks

This French country dish from the Savoie region is reminiscent of gratin with the heavy cream, potatoes, bacon and cheese.  It is perfect for warming up after an afternoon on the ski slopes.  Make ahead, omitting the cream, until ready to bake.  Serve it with a green salad and a white wine like Apremont.  (Let’s not get too pretentious here… red wine is also acceptable.)  

Traditionally, tartiflette is made with Roblochon cheese which is made from cow’s milk.  Dairy farmers in the Aravis Valley of the Savoie region made this cheese for decades as a result of avoiding all the tariff imposed on milk.  Instead of milking their cows dry they would milk them for just enough quantity to satisfy the taxman.  After the taxman left, they would finish the milking and use that milk for Roblochon cheese and other home purposes. 

Roblochon is similar to Brie or Camembert and melts beautifully into the potatoes, onions and bacon in this dish.  A true tartiflette casserole dish is greased with goose or duck fat and rubbed with raw garlic before the layers of cooked potatoes, onion and bacon are assembled.  As with every French dish butter, cream and cheese are added for richness, flavor and comfort…it’s not low cal that’s for sure.  However, drinking wine, especially red wine, will help to eliminate fatty solids from your digestive system.  That’s why the French have less heart disease than the English or Americans.  Cooking with wine enhances flavors and tenderizes too.  Any wine you’d drink  is appropriate for cooking.  However those little bottles of cooking wine on grocers’ shelves are way too salty and overpriced so avoid them.

Enjoy this French country dish. 

Ingredients:

• 2 large waxy potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 8 strips of bacon, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1/4 cup of dry white wine
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp of dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp butter plus enough to grease casserole dish
• 1 clove garlic to season casserole dish
• 6 ounces of Roblochon cheese ( Brie or Camembert if Roblochon style cheese not available)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt and fresh ground black pepper

Method:

1. In a sauce pan of salted water, boil potatoes for 20 minutes.  Drain and cool enough to handle.  Peel and slice into 1/4-inch discs.
2. Saute bacon over medium heat until fat is rendered.  Add onions and saute until translucent.  Transfer to a strainer to remove excess fat.  Return to skillet.
3. Add wine, thyme and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until wine is nearly dissipated.  Remove skillet from heat.
4. Preheat oven to 350° F.
5. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 3-4 quart casserole dish.  Rub with raw garlic clove.
6. Layer half the potato slices on the bottom, cover with half the onions and bacon. 
7. Slice the cheese in half horizontally so you have 2 round discs.  Place one disc, cut side down, on top of the onions and bacon.
8. Repeat layers ending with cheese on top.  Dot with butter.  Pour cream over the top surface and season with salt and pepper.
9. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until top is golden brown and bubbly.  Remove to a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes before serving.