Love Potatoes And Bake Up Tartiflette!

Last week was Potato Week, with the spotlight on Maris Piper, and being true potato lovers when Autumn arrives, you'll always find a bag or two in our shopping trolley. Whether we are having jacket potatoes one night, loaded with grated cheese or tuna mayo, or lasagne with new potatoes on the side the next night, it was soon the turn of my favourite dish : La Tartiflette. The kids love it too when the wafts of tartiflette baking in the oven reach them from the kitchen!

Now Tartiflette sounds really exotic but it's not really. Well, to any guests we have, yes it is really difficult! But it is, in all honesty, really simple to make. It is also quite a frugal dish that's very popular in the French Alps. It is predominantly made of potato, cheese, milk and seasoning. A bit like a Dauphinoise, but a Dauphinoise has no cheese but 500ml double cream. The Tartiflette has the cheese and a small amount of cream or milk, depending on what's in your fridge.  Delicious served with a salad and large chunks of bread on a cold winter's day.

It is simply a layering of sliced potato, garlic, chopped onion, and reblochon, a french cheese from the Haute Savoie area, not dissimilar to Brie, baked in the oven for 30 minutes. I have found Reblochon in my local Tesco and Waitrose, so you can get it here in the UK. Just ask at your Deli counter, if you can't see it in the chiller cabinets.

La Tartiflette

Ingredients:

1kg potatoes, sliced - I used Maris Piper (but firm potatoes hold their shape better)
Reblochon - diced
Onion, finely chopped - we used red onion
Garlic, crushed or finely chopped
Salt and Pepper
200ml creme fraiche (you can substitute milk or cream - use what you have in the fridge)

Method:

Pre-cook the sliced potato until tender, but still holding shape.
Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
Allow the pre-cooked potatoes to cool a little so you can handle the potato slices!
Place a layer of potato in a large square or oval shallow dish to cover the base of the dish. Top with the onion, crushed garlic and pieces of reblochon. Season with salt and pepper. Then do the second layer. Again, don't forget the seasoning. (I sometimes forget so add some more for luck on the very top layer!)
Continue with layers until you use up all the ingredients but make sure you end with the reblochon layer on top! Pop in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven to pour in the creme fraiche or milk and return to the oven for the final 10 minutes.
Serve piping hot with side salad and chunks of home-made bread or baguette.


Easy as 1-2-3 - Tartiflette using potatoes, reblochon, garlic, onion

Now I did save a portion back in a lunch box, and had this as leftovers for my lunch the next day, I just microwaved it to properly warm it through, and had a slice with a side salad and a couple of ryvita for that extra crunch I seem to crave. Just perfect for these chillier Autumnal days that make you feel a bit "meh".

And before you think this is fiddly, I did this on a school night, so it makes a perfect midweek evening meal.

What's your favourite potato dish?

The Lunchbox Lady x


Disclaimer: This post is an entry for #MarisPiperBritMums Linky Challenge sponsored by the Potato Council for Potato Week 7 – 13 October, celebrating the varieties of potatoes and how we like to eat them. Learn more and find recipes here






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