Reblochon Potato Gratin Food

POTATO GRATIN WITH CHEESE AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 F / 150 C / Gas 2 and grease a 10 x 12-inch (25 x 30-centimeter shallow baking dish with a little of the butter.
• Peel and slice the potatoes into thick slices, approximately 1/8-inch (3-millimeters) thick. Place the potatoes in a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold, running water. Dry with kitchen paper and season well with salt and pepper (potatoes soak up a lot of salt while cooking, so be generous). Keep to one side.
• Cut the cheese into small cubes.
• Heat a large frying pan to hot but not burning. Dry fry (fry without any fat) for about 5 minutes until the bacon lardons are crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper. Place half the potatoes neatly into the dish, sprinkle over the bacon, then top with half the cheese followed by the remaining potatoes.
• Pour in enough cream to just cover the potatoes-don't worry if you don't use it all. Dot the surface with the remaining butter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the potatoes are tender when pricked with a knife, about 1 1/4 hours.
• Remove the baking dish from the oven, dot the surface with the remaining cheese and return to the oven and cook until bubbling and golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 15 minutes covered in foil before serving.

TARTIFLETTE

Steps:

• For the tartiflette, preheat oven to 200C/400F/Gas 7.
• Cook the potatoes in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 5-10 minutes, or until tender.
• Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, heat a frying pan until hot and fry the bacon, shallots and garlic for 4-5 minutes, or until golden-brown. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Slice the potatoes thinly and layer into an ovenproof gratin dish with the bacon mixture. Pour over the double cream. Season with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Layer the Reblochon slices on top.
• Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is golden-brown and bubbling.

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.

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

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes and boil in salted water until just tender. Drain them and when they're cool enough, slice.
• Heat half the butter and oil together in a frying or saute pan and fry the potatoes until golden. Season with salt and pepper and put them into a shallow ovenproof dish.
• Heat the rest of the butter and oil in the same saute pan and cook the lardons over a fairly high heat to colour them well. Turn the heat down, add the onion and cook it until soft and just beginning to colour. Throw in the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Whilst cooking add white wine, normally about 1/2 a glass is sufficient.
• Cut the reblochon into slices and trim the rind. Dot spoonfuls of creme fraiche all over the potatoes and cover with the slices of reblochon. Bake in an oven, pre-heated to 190 C, for 15 minutes. The cheese should be melted and bubbling. Serve immediately.

TARTIFLETTE RECIPE

Steps:

• Wash and peel the potatoes and chop into thin round slices.
• Grease the casserole dish and layer the sliced potatoes across.
• Add the bacon lardons, onions, spinach, etc in between the potato slices.
• Mix the crème fraîche, wine, butter, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Add the mixture over the top of the potatoes in the casserole.
• Slice the reblochon cheese block into thin slices and place on top of the potatoes.
• Cook in preheated oven for 45 minutes at 190C° (375F°) until potatoes and cheese are lightly browned.
• Remove from oven and cover with lid. Serve while warm.

REBLOCHON-POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Generously butter a 5-cup gratin dish. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add onions, sprinkle with sugar, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very soft and golden, 15 to 20 minutes, and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a mandoline or a knife, slice potatoes 1/8 inch thick. Arrange one-third of the potatoes so they overlap in the gratin dish; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover potatoes with half of the reserved onions, half the cheese, and one-third of the thyme leaves. Arrange another one-third of the potatoes so that they overlap; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat layering with remaining onions, cheese, and one third of the thyme. Arrange remaining potatoes on top so they overlap. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter; brush it over the final layer of potatoes. Sprinkle the remaining thyme, and season with salt and pepper.
• Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and place in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes; remove foil, and bake until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes more. Remove from oven, let stand 5 minutes, and serve.