Tartiflette
A dish prepared in the Savoy region of the French Alps. It is nice with white wine and keeps you warm. My guest had 4 helpings last time I made it!
A dish prepared in the Savoy region of the French Alps. It is nice with white wine and keeps you warm. My guest had 4 helpings last time I made it!
- Carbohydrate 38.806585 g
- Cholesterol 35.183125 mg
- Fat 22.00355375 g
- Fiber 4.91975010812283 g
- Protein 5.596583125 g
- Saturated Fat 9.94968175 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (262g)
- Sodium 333.211875 mg
- Sugar 33.8868348918772 g
- Trans Fat 1.32557675 g
- Calories 372 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven 350 degrees;
- Peel potatoes before cooking. Cook for no more than 15-20 minutes (less if using smaller potatoes). You want them to just be getting tender. (When you slice them later, the inside will be still hard and the outside getting tender. A color change will be noticeable. This is perfect.) Rinse in cold water to stop the cooking.
- While potatoes are cooking, slice the salt pork into cubes if already not done. Melt the butter in very large sauté pan. Cook over medium high heat until crisp and golden brown. (Finely chop the onions.) Remove salt pork with slotted spoon and set aside. Cook the onions in the pork fat over medium heat until wilted. Remove excess fat from pan and set a small amount aside to coat the casserole pan.
- While cooking the onions and once potatoes are cool, cut them into slices that are about 1/3 inch thick.
- Return salt pork and onions back to pan and add wine. Cook over high heat until wine is nearly evaporated. Add the potatoes and cook for about minute or until the ingredients are mixed well together. (If you had boiled the potatoes too long in the beginning, they will start to fall apart during this process). Add the cream, salt (if using salt pork this isn’t necessary), and pepper to taste. Mix ingredients until potatoes are well coated.
- Take fat from salt pork and coat the casserole pan. Place the potato mixture in the casserole. Cut the cheese in half horizontally through the center so you have two half moonish or triangular pieces. You might want to cut once more vertically so you have 4 pieces for better cheese distribution. Score the crust with a sharp knife. Do not remove crust. Place the cheese crust side up or the potatoes.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake in center of oven for an hour. Take out of the oven remove the foil and mix in the cheese (including crust). Place under the broiler and cook until top is golden brown.
- Serve with white wine and a salad. Enjoy!!
Salt pork drives this entire dish, rendering copious amounts of rendered fat that subsequently transforms standard onions and starchy potatoes into deeply savory components without requiring expensive additional oils. Rendering this cured cut over medium-high heat until golden brown yields crisp lardons while leaving behind ample pan drippings to sweat the aromatics. When selecting a cut at the butcher counter, inspect the ratio of lean meat to fat carefully, ensuring a balanced distribution that provides both rich cooking medium and substantial protein bites.
Parboiling potatoes for no more than fifteen to twenty minutes requires close visual observation rather than strictly relying on a kitchen timer, because tubers vary widely in moisture content and age. Piercing a slice should reveal an exterior that offers slight give while the interior remains completely firm and resistant, preventing the slices from turning to mush when combined with the warm wine reduction later. Cooling the boiled tubers in cold water halts internal residual carryover cooking immediately, locking in the precise structural integrity needed for the baking dish.
Dry white wine deglazes the skillet effectively, dissolving the caramelized fond left behind by the pork and onions to build a concentrated base layer of acidity. Allowing this liquid to reduce almost entirely on high heat concentrates the aromatics so the final casserole avoids excess moisture pooling beneath the melting dairy. Incorporating the crème fraîche directly into this warm skillet mixture coats every potato surface evenly before transferring the contents to the casserole pan.
Baking this heavy casserole covered with aluminum foil at 350 degrees for an exact duration of one hour allows the potatoes to finish cooking through uniformly while absorbing the surrounding fats and dairy. Removing the foil for the final broiling stage exposes the scored cheese crust directly to intense overhead heat, creating a deep golden brown finish that signals the dish is ready for service. Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, often improving in flavor as the starches fully absorb the surrounding seasoned fats.
