A cheese and potato gratin originating from the Savoie region where potato is referred to as tartifle, giving the name to the dish. It calls for a cheese called reblochon, from reblocher, meaning to milk a second time, resulting in more cream in the milk.- Roger Letourneau
| 500 g | Reblochon, Delice de Jura, Taleggio or aged raclette cheese, whole piece |
| 1.2 kg | potatoes, small variety |
| 200 g | Meuwly’s pancetta, peti salé or thick bacon (cut into a small dice) to make lardons |
| 1 med | onion, sliced |
| 8 T | butter |
| 2 T | crème fraîche |
| 100 ml | dry white wine (Roger suggests wine from Aprement in the Savoie, or, you could use any dry, high-acid white) |
| olive oil as needed |
Gently cook potatoes in salted simmering water. Do not boil the potatoes too hard as they will crack and become waterlogged. Remove cooked potatoes from the water and cool. Cut them into quarters or eights if possible. Salt if needed and reserve.
While the potatoes are cooking, place the lardons in a pan and fry until just crispy. Do not overcook. Drain on paper towel and reserve.
Meanwhile, heat the butter in a pan and sweat the onions gently. Once translucent, season with salt and reserve.
In a casserole dish, place one layer of potatoes followed by a good dousing of olive oil, then half the onions and lardons. Add another layer of potatoes then the remaining onions, lardons and crème fraîche (spread evenly over top.) Slice the cheese in half horizontally so it’s as wide as possible, placing over the casserole to cover. Lastly, pour the wine over top.
Put into a preheated oven at 430ºF (400ºF in a convection oven) and cook until the top is caramelized. Aim for a nice golden brown on top—too much and the cheese will overcook and split. The shape of the cheese should be retained.