Cheese Baconthyme Tartiflette Food

MARY CADOGAN'S TARTIFLETTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7/fan oven 200C. Peel and thickly slice the potatoes, then boil in salted water for 8-10 minutes, until just tender. Drain.
• Chop onion finely and fry in 25g/1oz butter and a drizzle of olive oil for 5 minutes. Snip bacon into pieces with scissors and add to the pan; stir well and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the onion and bacon are lightly coloured.
• Chop cheese into chunks, rind and all. Layer half the potatoes in a 1.5 litre/2¾ pint buttered ovenproof dish and scatter over half the onion, bacon and cheese. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Repeat layers, then pour cream evenly over the top and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden. Rest for 5 minutes and then serve with a salad.

TARTIFLETTE - ALPINE MELTED CHEESE, BACON AND POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 5.
• Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the potatoes whole, in their skins, for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the onion and bacon in the butter in a heavy frying pan over a medium heat; they should sweat but not brown. When they are cooked, discard the fat and add the glass of wine and the creme fraiche and mix well.
• Drain the potatoes and as soon as they are cool enough to handle peel them - the quicker the better. Slice thinly across.
• Choose an ovenproof earthenware dish and rub it well with the cut halves of garlic. Layer half the sliced potatoes across the base, season them with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then scatter over half the onion and bacon mixture.
• Cut the Reblochon cheese in half through the centre of the cheese, leaving you with a cut edge and a skin/rind edge, then lay one half of the cheese on top of the potato, bacon and onion mixture. Add the remaining bacon and onion mixture followed by the rest of the potatoes and more seasoning.
• Place the remaining half of cut Reblochon cheese skin/rind side up on top of the potatoes. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180C/350'F/gas mark 4 for a further 20-25 minutes. The Reblochon should melt within its skin and the cheese drip down throughout the dish, while the potatoes will become crispy and golden brown.
• Tartiflette is a filling dish and all you really need to go with it is a mixed green salad, crusty French bread and a selection of pickles.

TARTIFLETTE (FRENCH POTATO, BACON, AND CHEESE CASSEROLE)

Steps:

• Boil unpeeled potatoes with salt in water over high heat; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife but are not too soft, 15 to 25 minutes depending on size. Remove potatoes from water to cool.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Cook bacon in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat until cooked but not quite crisp and most of the fat is rendered out, 5 to 7 minutes. Push bacon to one side of the pan and blot up some of the fat with a wadded paper towel. Add onion slices. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and cayenne. Cook and stir over medium heat until onions are soft, sweet, and golden, about 6 minutes. Add white wine; cook for 2 minutes and deglaze pan. Remove from heat.
• Cut wheel of cheese into 2 semi-circles. Place each half cut side down and split in half to form 2 more semi-circles, each with a rind side and creamy cheese side.
• When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin. Slice into fairly thick slices, about 1/3 inch thick.
• Place a little over half the potato slices onto bottom of a 2-quart shallow baking dish. A little overlapping is fine. Sprinkle with a bit of salt. Pour in bacon/onion/wine mixture and spread over potatoes in an even layer. Arrange the remaining potato slices over the top, overlapping as needed. Spread creme fraiche over the potatoes. Place down cheese pieces, rind side up. Transfer pan to a baking sheet. Bake in center rack of preheated oven until browned and potatoes are tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

TARTIFLETTE

Steps:

• Cook the sliced potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes, until just tender but not breaking up. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, ovenproof frying pan (or an ovenproof dish), then add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes until translucent. Add the pancetta and cook for another 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic. Continue on the heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is cooked through and the onions turn lightly golden.
• Drain off any excess fat. Raise the heat, then pour the white wine into the pan and add the bay leaf. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring to deglaze the pan, until the wine has reduced by about a third. Add the cream and simmer until that has reduced by about a third too. Remove the pan from the heat and add the potatoes, stirring carefully to coat them with the creamy mixture - it doesn't matter if they start to break up a little. Remove the bay leaf and season the mixture to taste.
• Nestle about two-thirds of the chunks of cheese in among the potatoes and onions, then scatter the rest over the top. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes at 180°C/Gas Mark 4, until golden brown and bubbling.
• Leave to settle for a few minutes, then serve with a salad of vinaigrette-dressed Little Gems and a few cornichons to cut through the creaminess of the Reblochon.
• Enjoy with a Burgundian oaked Chardonnay such as St Véran.