Tartiflette

Instructions

Boil the potatoes in their skins for exactly 20 minutes, until they are only just starting to turn tender, then rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking. Peel them with your fingers while they are still warm, slice them about ⅓ inch thick with a large sharp knife, and cut the slices into rough cubes.

Cut the bacon or salt pork into lardons about ¼ inch across. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan and cook the lardons over medium-high heat until crisp and golden brown, then lift them out with a slotted spoon and leave the fat in the pan. Heat the oven to 350 °F.

Cook the onion in the fat over medium heat, stirring often, until wilted and slightly golden. Tip it into a strainer and press with a spoon to remove as much fat as you can.

Pour the fat out of the pan, then return the bacon and onion and add the wine. Cook over high heat until the wine has nearly evaporated.

Add the cubed potatoes and stir constantly for about a minute, until everything is well mixed. Add the cream, the salt and some pepper, and stir for another minute. The salt should taste a little generous.

Lightly butter a 10 to 11 inch earthenware baking dish, add the potato mixture, and smooth the top.

Cut the reblochon in half across the top to make two half-moons and set one aside for another use. Lightly score the crust of the remaining half about every inch, including the side, then slice it horizontally through the middle into two half-moon pieces.

Set the two pieces crust side up on the potatoes so they form a circle again. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour.

Take off the foil and stir the cheese, crust included, into the potatoes until well mixed. Place the dish 5 to 6 inches under the broiler and cook until the top is golden brown.