Tartiflette – RecipeTin Eats Tartiflette

August 15, 2026

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Tartiflette is the well-known French potato bake from the Alps, made with simply potatoes, bacon, onion and cheese that melts all the way down to turn out to be the sauce. Potato Dauphinoise will be the better-known basic, however ask round France and a few would select Tartiflette in a heartbeat.

Tartiflette – RecipeTin Eats Tartiflette

When JB instructed me he would like to share a recipe for this particular potato bake from the French Alps, at first I used to be hesitant. I imply, how a lot better can or not it’s than the basic Potato Dauphinoise? Then he made it. Potatoes smothered in cheese that melts all the way down to turn out to be the sauce – I take all of it again. That is one particular potato dish!!

PS Reblochon is the normal cheese, however fortunately you don’t have to hunt it down. Any good washed rind cheese works fantastically – JB examined loads to ensure. However in the event you can solely get camembert or brie, use this Brie Dauphinoise as an alternative!

Tartiflette

Tartiflette is the well-known Alpine potato bake made merely with potatoes, onion, bacon and cheese. It comes from the Savoie area, up within the French Alps, residence to a few of the finest cheese within the nation. I grew up in Lyon which isn’t removed from Savoie and I can inform you, there’s nothing like coming in from a day of snowboarding on the slopes to a heat Tartiflette.

Although Potato Dauphinoise will be the extra well-known French potato bake, Tartiflette has one thing particular going for it – as an alternative of cream, the melted cheese turns into the sauce. The standard cheese used known as Reblochon which is a washed rind cheese that’s notoriously troublesome (and costly) to seek out outdoors of France.

It’s a dish from residence that I’ve missed and craved, and this winter I used to be decided to discover a method to make it correctly right here in Australia utilizing another cheese. I used to be glad to seek out that I may make a Tartiflette each bit nearly as good as I keep in mind from residence utilizing cheeses I may get regionally. And fortunately, Nagi is famously a cheese monster, so getting via the various, many check batches was by no means going to be an issue!

Elements

Right here’s what you could make Tartiflette.

1. the cheese – reblochon

As talked about above, the normal cheese utilized in Tartiflette is Reblochon which is troublesome to seek out outdoors of France. However don’t be disheartened, I’ve made it with a number of washed rind cheeses right here in Australia and discover it actually near the actual deal. And imagine me, I’m fairly specific about ensuring conventional French dishes style as they need to!

About Reblochon

Reblochon is a washed rind cheese which is a sort of cheese that’s mushy and creamy like brie and has the signature barely funky flavour that comes from the best way the rind is washed because the cheese ages. It’s made within the Savoie and Haute-Savoie areas close to the Alps, historically with uncooked milk from cows native to the area. The rind is white when younger and turns into orange because the cheese ages, and a wealthy, gently pungent flavour that mellows as soon as baked.

The cheese melts fantastically and runs all through the dish to coat all of the potato, which is why you don’t want cream or some other sauce on this dish.

Reblochon - France — Reblochon is carried at common retailers throughout France. Picture credit score: my good friend Christelle Stevenon

The place to get Reblochon

In France, Reblochon is discovered at each grocery retailer. However sadly outdoors France, real Reblochon will be difficult to trace down, largely as a result of they fall foul of import legal guidelines in nations like Australia and the US.

However as I stated above, I’ve tried Tartiflette with many different washed rind cheeses. Listed below are different cheese that can be utilized:

Préféré de Nos Montagnes (what I used, picture under) – It is a Reblochon-style cheese from France. The rationale this may be imported is as a result of it’s made with pasteurised milk whereas real Reblochon makes use of uncooked milk. I discover the flavour of this to be extraordinarily near real Reblochon, there’s barely any distinction. I received this from Le Petit Marche, a French deli in Newport, Sydney and it’s carried at speciality cheese retailers in addition to on-line and at French markets.
Délice du Jura – That is one other French Reblochon-style cheese that’s from one other area which can be discovered on-line, markets and speciality shops.
Saint-Nectaire – It is a washed rind cheese that’s not a Reblochon-style cheese however it has comparable flavour and melting traits so it’s a nice various. Discover it on-line, at speciality French cheese shops and on-line.
Different washed rind cheeses – The three cheeses I speak about above are the closest washed rinds to Reblochon. However there are a lot of different styles of washed rinds at completely different value factors and sizes, of which I’ve tried fairly a couple of over time and located all of them to be gratifying.
Taleggio – That is essentially the most accessible and reasonably priced choice. It’s a washed rind cheese that has comparable flavour and melting properties to real Reblochon. In my space it’s carried at Harris Farms (I’m in Sydney) and I’ve seen it in bigger grocery shops like Woolworths and Coles which have speciality cheese sections. Taleggio varieties vary in value, however don’t hesitate to choose up one of the best worth one as I’ve made this with the most affordable Taleggio I may discover and it was nonetheless scrumptious.

If you happen to get cheese which can be wedges moderately than an entire wheel like pictured above, then nonetheless minimize them in half horizontally or minimize into chunks and scatter throughout the floor of the dish. See FAQ for photographs.

Roblochon for Tartiflette — The Reblochon-style cheese I exploit which is the closest to the real factor.

2. All the pieces else for the tartiflette

You’ll see some recipes use cream however conventional variations don’t as a result of the sauce of Tartiflette is meant to be simply the cheese.

Potatoes – All potato varieties will work positive right here, actually, I’ve tried it with the waxy type (crimson potatoes) and it seems properly. However my favorite is the starchy type. They nonetheless maintain their form after boiling and turn out to be tender to soak up all of the flavours whereas baking. (Sebago in Australia – the filth lined ones you see on the cabinets, Russet within the US, King Edward or Maris Piper within the UK are excellent).
Bacon – Brings pops of salty meatiness and beautiful smoky depth in opposition to the creamy richness of the reblochon cheese. Get slab bacon out of your butcher in the event you can, so you possibly can minimize it your self into lardons (batons). If you happen to can’t discover slab bacon, strive speck (which in Australia is cured and smoked pork stomach slab).
White wine – Historically made with a dry white wine from the Savoie area of France, corresponding to Jacquère or Roussette. These will be troublesome to seek out outdoors France, so Chardonnay is a good substitute and my favorite wine for cooking , I like the flavour and richness it brings to sauces. There’s no want to purchase an costly bottle, the refined aromas you’re paying for are principally misplaced throughout cooking anyway. For an alcohol-free model, use a non-alcoholic dry white wine.
Onions – Two common dimension onions, brown ones (yellow).
Butter – I at all times use unsalted butter so I can management the quantity of salt in a dish.

How To Make Tartiflette

Don’t overthink this one. It’s boil, sauté, layer and bake. The one factor to plan forward is chopping the cheese in half. You bought this!

1.CUT the reblochon CHEESE

Reblochon is generally very mushy and creamy, virtually too mushy to deal with straight from the fridge, so it wants somewhat assist to agency up earlier than you possibly can slice it correctly. A brief keep within the freezer does the job completely, this won’t have an effect on the cheese flavour and texture. This trick works simply as properly in the event you’re utilizing one other washed-rind cheese.

Unwrap the cheese fully, taking off all of the packaging.
Place it on a plate and into the freezer for 1 hour, simply sufficient for it to agency up so it holds collectively properly when you’re chopping it..

Fastidiously slice the cheese in half horizontally via the center with a pointy knife, so you find yourself with two thinner rounds, rind on one facet and the creamy minimize facet uncovered on the opposite.

2.Cook dinner, assemble and bake

Now that the cheese is sorted, every little thing else comes collectively in a single pot earlier than going into the baking dish.

Cook dinner the potatoes – Place the minimize potatoes in a big pot (mine is 7 litres / quarts) and canopy with chilly water (2cm / 0.8″ above the potatoes). Add salt, carry to a simmer, and prepare dinner for quarter-hour till simply tender. A knife ought to slide in simply with barely any resistance, however the potato must nonetheless be agency sufficient to carry its form, you don’t need them breaking up.

Drain and depart within the colander till wanted, this lets any additional moisture to empty and steam off so the potatoes keep dry moderately than watery as soon as baked.

Why begin with chilly water? It helps the potatoes prepare dinner evenly. Beginning with boiling water could make the outsides soften earlier than the centres are cooked.
Cook dinner the onion – In the identical pot, soften the butter over medium-high warmth, then add the onion and prepare dinner for five minutes, stirring recurrently with a picket spoon, till softened and begin to color.

Add the bacon and prepare dinner for an extra 5 minutes, stirring recurrently, till the bacon is calmly browned and the onion is fantastically golden. If issues are browning or catching on the underside of the pot too rapidly, decrease the warmth somewhat.
Pour the wine to deglaze, and let it cut back for 30 seconds, scraping the underside properly to loosen all of the fond into the wine (these tasty browned bits caught to the bottom). There may be a lot flavour hiding down there, don’t waste it!

Add the potato again into the pot with the salt and pepper. Stir gently, simply sufficient to mix, taking care to not break up the potato items.
Switch the combination right into a baking dish and unfold it out into an excellent layer. The dish I’m utilizing is 30 x 25 x 7cm / 12″ x 10″ x 3″.

Place the 2 halves of reblochon on prime, rind facet up.
Bake at 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan-forced) for half-hour, till the reblochon is totally melted, effervescent across the edges and fantastically golden on prime. Because it bakes, the melted cheese turns into the sauce of the dish, coating every bit of potato in wealthy, creamy goodness.

Relaxation for five minutes earlier than serving, in the event you can wait that lengthy!

How To Serve Tartiflette

Tartiflette is served within the cooler months as a easy principal meal in France, normally with only a salad on the facet and a glass of crisp white wine. The dish is so substantial and wealthy that it doesn’t want any additional sides. Attempt the French Bistro Salad or any recent leafy salad with a French French dressing, or sautéed Inexperienced Beans.

It is also served as a facet dish, such as you would Potato Dauphinoise, as a part of a banquet although you don’t see this executed in France. If I got here throughout Tartiflette on a buffet, I might ignore every little thing else and simply pile my plate filled with that!

Have you ever ever eaten Tartiflette, or is that this the primary time you’ve heard of it? I’d love to listen to within the feedback under. Bon appetit! – JB.

FAQ – Tartiflette

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Nagi’s Notes

Tartiflette