Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Tartiflette: One Dish Winter Comfort Food

It is cold outside. Just overnight it has become so cold in Provence, you don't want to leave the house without a big scarf and mittens. And a beanie won't hurt either. But there is reason to rejoice - cold means comfort food and I found just the recipe that spells comfort in capital letters.
Tartiflette hails from the Haute Savoie region of France and takes its name from the Franco Provençal word for potato - tartiflâ. And although it comes along like very simple, few ingredient peasant food this is not a dish with a long rural tradition but a genial bit of marketing dreamt up by some Reblochon producers in the 1980s to promote the sale of their cheese.
 Onions and Bacon
 
 Reblochon Cheese
 
 Tartiflette ready to go into the Oven
Start by parboiling 1 kg/2 lb waxy potatoes. Leave to cool. Peel and finely slice two white onions and sauté them in a bit of butter together with 250 g/ 8oz lardons (bacon bits) until the bacon is cooked and the onion translucent, taking care not the brown the mix. Season with freshly grated pepper - black or white, it doesn't really matter.
Peel and slice the potatoes. Layer the potato slices into a lightly buttered gratin dish, top with the onion/bacon mixture. Drizzle with a bit of either cream or white wine and top with slices of Reblochon. Cook in the oven at 180 C/350 F for 25 to 30 minutes until beautifully browned and bubbling. You won't  have to call your family to the table, the wonderful kitchen smells doing their magic calling them all by themselves. To be served either with a crisp white or a robust red wine.

17 comments:

  1. i will be making this soon! thanks for another great recipe!!!

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  2. What time is dinner, I forgot? Looks delicious.

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  3. Oh, this sounds wonderful. And yes, so perfect for a chilly day!

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    1. Tahnk you Chris. If you need warming up, Tartiflette is the culinary answer!

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  4. I love tartiflette, but I really don't feel that I have enough exercise in my lifestyle to justify eating it!

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    1. A little bit of sin once in a while doesn't do you harm....

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  5. Barbara, I know you posted this just for Dale and me. We would love this and will make it. Now, to find a cheese similar to Reblochon in the US.

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  6. Susan,
    you will lover this wonderful winter warming dish. I imagine if you take a very creamy young Brie it would work. Happy holidays to you and Dale! When are you back in Provence?

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    1. Hopefully soon. With our move to Arizona this year, our French traveling has come to a halt for a short time. Will let you know when we are back. I will look for a brie or perhaps I will find a french cheese shop right here in America....sigh......

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  7. You've described the season perfectly and the need to come inside and cuddle up by a fireside with a dish of comforting food so perfectly! The French were the first to inspire my love of cooking that ultimately led me back to my roots in Italian cooking . . . and oh how the French know how to perfect any recipe with the divine potato! I wish I could prepare them all! Thank you for sharing! Wishing you a joyful holiday season, Roz

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  8. This is exactly the kind of dish to have at this time of the year! To me , this is wonderful comfort food!

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  9. My goodness, this is my kind of comfort food, delicious Barbara : ) My best wishes for Christmas and New Year, hope to meet up in 2015!:)

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    1. Happy Holidays to you and all the family, Özlem - meeting you in 2015 would be wonderful!

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