Tartiflette — Reblochon Potato Gratin of Haute-Savoie

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Tartiflette is the beloved winter dish of Haute-Savoie — a gratin of sliced potatoes, lardons, and onions baked under a split wheel of Reblochon cheese that melts into a creamy, oozing, pungent blanket during baking. Unlike the older gratin savoyard (where cheese is layered throughout), tartiflette is a modern creation from the 1980s, invented by the Reblochon producers' syndicate to boost sales — but its deliciousness has made it a genuine regional classic embraced across France, served in every ski station restaurant from Chamonix to Méribel. The method is straightforward and satisfying. Boil 1kg of waxy potatoes in their skins until just tender, then peel and slice thickly (1cm). Render 200g of thick-cut lardons until golden and crisp. Remove the lardons, and in the rendered fat, cook 2 sliced onions until soft and golden (10-12 minutes). Combine the potatoes, lardons, and onions in a gratin dish. Deglaze the pan with 100ml of dry white wine (Savoyard, naturally) and pour over the potato mixture. Season with pepper (the lardons and cheese provide salt). Cut a whole Reblochon (450g) in half horizontally to create two discs. Place these cut-side down on top of the potato mixture — the rind side faces up, and during baking the cut surface melts downward into the potatoes while the rind protects the top and creates a beautiful, wrinkled, golden cap. Bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes until the Reblochon is bubbling, oozing at the edges, and the rind has turned golden-brown. The cheese should be flowing but not completely melted — it should hold its shape as a cap that can be cut into portions, each one releasing a stream of molten Reblochon onto the potatoes below. Serve immediately with a green salad dressed with walnut oil and a glass of Apremont or Roussette de Savoie. This is the ultimate ski food — rich, warming, rib-sticking, and utterly irresistible.

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