Tartiflette – French Recipe with Potatoes, Reblochon and Ham

I first made tartiflette a few years ago, after a trip to France, where I had the chance to try several traditional dishes in Grenoble. As a big cheese lover, I obviously enjoyed quite a few of them, but tartiflette stood out as one of the easiest to recreate at home. So, while we were there, I took the opportunity to ask the lady who served us for the recipe and a few little tips. I doubt she gave me the whole recipe, but I did remember one very important thing: Reblochon is the key ingredient.

The only problem was finding Reblochon. Back then, I managed to find it only once in Romania, at Carrefour, so I immediately took the opportunity to make tartiflette at home. After that, the cheese completely disappeared from store shelves, and I tried making tartiflette with Brie instead. It was good, but… it just wasn’t the same.

Then, completely by chance, I spotted Reblochon on the shelves at Mega Image. My first instinct was to buy the entire stock. 😁

And that’s how, after quite some time, I finally made tartiflette again.

What is tartiflette?

Tartiflette is a traditional French dish made with a handful of simple ingredients: potatoes, onions, meat and Reblochon.

Think of it as a much creamier potato gratin and, if you ask me, a lot more interesting thanks to the cheese.

Reblochon is what really makes this dish. It’s a soft French cheese with a rind and a fairly strong flavor that melts beautifully in the oven.

A few tips for making great tartiflette

Don’t fully cook the potatoes. This is probably the most important thing to keep in mind. The potatoes still have to cook in the oven, so they need to be firm enough to hold their shape when you mix everything together and bake the dish. Choose potatoes that don’t fall apart easily after boiling and baking.

You don’t want floury potatoes that crumble as soon as you mix them. With tartiflette, I much prefer having soft but still intact pieces of potato surrounded by all that creamy, cheesy goodness.

Don’t rush the onions. They don’t need to be deeply browned. Just let them soften and develop a little sweetness, because that flavor works beautifully with the cheese and meat.

Let the wine reduce well. You don’t want a watery tartiflette. Most of the wine should cook off, leaving its flavor behind rather than a lot of extra liquid in the dish.

Go easy on the salt. The Reblochon and meat already add plenty of salt, so it’s best to taste everything before adding more.

Don’t cut the Reblochon into small pieces. You want generous pieces of cheese that can melt over the potatoes and create that rich, creamy layer on top.

Tartiflette – French Recipe with Potatoes, Reblochon and Ham

Recipe by Loredana Arion

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

50

minutes

Calories per serving

615

kcal

Tartiflette is a classic French potato dish made with Reblochon cheese, pork ham, onions, cream, and dry white wine. It is easy to prepare and incredibly delicious, especially when the Reblochon melts over the potatoes, creating a creamy, golden-brown crust.

Ingredients

• For an 18 × 18 cm (7 × 7 inch) baking dish

• 8 small to medium potatoes

• 200 g pork loin or ready-to-eat ham

• 1 large onion

• 200 ml cooking cream

• 3 tablespoons sour cream

• 150 ml dry white wine

• 1 wheel of Reblochon cheese (240 g)

• Salt, to taste

• A few drops of olive oil

• A little butter, for greasing the baking dish

Directions

• Place the potatoes, unpeeled, in a pot of water. Once the water comes to a boil, add one teaspoon of salt and cook the potatoes until they are only half-cooked. They should not be fully tender, as they will continue cooking in the oven. Turn off the heat, drain the potatoes, and leave them to cool.
• Peel the potatoes, cut them into small cubes, and season with a pinch of salt.
• Cut the pork loin or ham into small cubes and cook for a few minutes in a hot pan with a few drops of olive oil, until lightly browned. Add the finely chopped onion and cook for a few more minutes, until it starts to soften.
• Pour the dry white wine over the pork and onion mixture and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated.
• Grease an 18 × 18 cm (7 × 7 inch) baking dish with a little butter. Add half of the potatoes, then spread the pork and onion mixture evenly over them.
• Add the remaining potatoes. Mix the cooking cream with the sour cream and pour the mixture evenly over the potatoes.
• Cut the Reblochon cheese in half, then cut each half horizontally. Arrange the pieces of Reblochon on top of the potatoes, with the creamy side facing down.
• Place the baking dish in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) and bake for approximately 50 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the Tartiflette is beautifully golden brown.
• Serve the Tartiflette hot, while the Reblochon cheese is still melted, creamy, and delicious.

Notes

• Do not fully cook the potatoes before baking. They should only be partially cooked, as they will continue cooking in the oven.
• If using ready-to-eat pork ham, simply brown it lightly before adding the onion.
• Place the Reblochon in the baking dish with the creamy side facing down, allowing the cheese to melt over the potatoes as it bakes.
• For this quantity, use a baking dish approximately 18 × 18 cm (7 × 7 inches) in size.