Tartiflette

Apologies for not posting in ages but I’ve been silly busy with work. So far this year I’ve shot on a beach in South Africa, On top of a mountain in Slovenia, I had my first taste of surfing (I was rubbish), my first taste of skiing (I was pretty good) and now it’s briefly started to slow down. This all prompted me to book my first skiing holiday which I came back from last week - we went to the French Alpes and I absolutely loved it. The first thing I wanted to try when I got there was Tartiflette, it’s a classic French dish that originates from the area, if you like cheese then you’re going to absolutely love this dish.

Reblochon cheese originates from the Alpine region of France and this dish was actually created to increase sales of the cheese in the 1980’s, that said it originates from a recipe that can be tracked back as far as 1705. It is a filling and warming dish, ideal for these confused nights we seem to be having – is it going to snow again or is it going to turn into Spring? Today we had glorious sunshine followed by hail and then heavy snow. Weird. Anyway please try out this dish and let me know what you think!

(Serves 2)

TARTIFLETTE

Ingredients –

1 Reblouchon cheese

2 handfuls new potatoes or 4 medium potatoes

1 onion

6 rashers smoked bacon or a good handful of smoked lardons, chopped into small chunks

8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Method –

-       Turn your oven to about 200 degrees centigrade

-       First you need to boil your potatoes and then set aside to cool slightly

-       Meanwhile fry the onion for a few minutes on a medium heat until soft, add the garlic towards the end so as not to burn the garlic

-       Add the bacon and fry for a further few minutes until the bacon is cooked, season with salt and pepper but be careful not to add too much salt as the cheese and bacon are already quite salty

-       Chop the potatoes into small chunks and add to the pan with the bacon and onion mixture and mix gently together

-       Divide the mixture between 2 oven proof dishes and top with half a reblouchon cheese sliced in half across its equator

-       Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and has gone slightly crusty on top

-       Leave for a minute or so before you eat so you don’t get burnt from the moltern cheese loveliness

Oh and be sure to eat the crust as it adds a totally different dimension to the dish, all you need to go with tartiflette is a small salad and a good glass of red!