A bowl of macaroni and cheese may simply say, “I love you,” but sometimes you’re looking for a more eloquent, impressive form of culinary expression. That’s where tartiflette comes in. It’s another cheese-covered carb, but with a touch more sophistication—it is French, after all. To really impress your dinner companion (or satisfy yourself), make this delicious potato dish that comes with hugs, kisses, and a whole wheel of cheese.
Tartiflette Recipe – French Potato, Bacon and Cheese Dish
Originally from the Savoie region of France’s western Alps, tartiflette is a hearty dish made with potatoes, bacon, onions, and reblochon cheese. Most of those ingredients probably sound familiar—bacon is actually a fancy way of describing a slice of bacon that’s been cut into matchsticks—but reblochon may be new to you (it was to me). Reblochon is a soft, washed, raw cow’s milk cheese that we can’t get in the U.S. because of the raw, unpasteurized factor. While some cheesemakers offer pasteurized versions that resemble reblochon, they’re not exactly cheap.
If reblochon isn’t available near you at a price that’s affordable enough to melt over some potatoes, you can use any good processed cheese (or try making your own). If you don’t like a bloomy rind, try port salut, havarti, or gouda. If you want to get closer to the reblochon experience, I recommend a cheese with a rind; try camembert, brie, saint-andre, or le délice de bourgogne.
If none of these flavors appeal to you, just make yourself happy and use any melted cheese you like. I used brie because it's easy to find at my local grocery store, and the brand Président makes a pretty ridiculous "coeur de brie" (heart of brie) for Valentine's Day, and I couldn't resist buying it.
