Name: Tartiflette
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1kg (about 2 lbs.) Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into slices about 1.5cm thick; 2 tablespoons sunflower oil; 1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced; 250g (about 2 cups) pancetta, sliced into strips; 4 garlic cloves, chopped; 100ml (about ½ cup) dry white wine; 1 bay leaf; 200ml (about 1 cup) heavy cream; 450g (about 1 lb.) Reblochon cheese, cut into ½ cm (about ¼ in.)-thick slices, don't remove the rind

Cheesy potato casserole topped with chopped herbs in a baking dish on a red surface.

Photo by David Loftus

This may sound like some ancient Alpine classic, but it's rather more modern than you'd expect. Born in the early '8os, this heart-stopping (in the right way) mixture of cheese, ham (we use pancetta), onions and potatoes was actually created by the Union Interprofessional Reblochon to promote sales of the eponymous cheese. And thank the Lord for that, because this is mountain tucker at its best. And a favourite at the Fortnum's Lodge.

Don't remove the cheese rind—it's deeply edible, and goes gloriously crusty in the oven, which adds welcome texture. Smoked streaky bacon can be substituted for pancetta and any good melting cheese, if you must, for Reblochon.

Recipe information

Yield
4 servings

Ingredients

1kg (about 2 lbs.) Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into slices about 1.5cm thick

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced

250g (about 2 cups) pancetta, sliced into strips

4 garlic cloves, chopped

100ml (about ½ cup) dry white wine

1 bay leaf

200ml (about 1 cup) heavy cream

450g (about 1 lb.) Reblochon cheese, cut into ½ cm (about ¼ in.)-thick slices, don't remove the rind

Preparation

Step 1
Cook the sliced potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes, until just tender but not breaking up. Drain and set aside.
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, ovenproof frying pan (or an ovenproof dish), then add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes until translucent. Add the pancetta and cook for another 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic. Continue on the heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is cooked through and the onions turn lightly golden.
Step 3
Drain off any excess fat. Raise the heat, then pour the white wine into the pan and add the bay leaf. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring to deglaze the pan, until the wine has reduced by about a third. Add the cream and simmer until that has reduced by about a third too. Remove the pan from the heat and add the potatoes, stirring carefully to coat them with the creamy mixture - it doesn't matter if they start to break up a little. Remove the bay leaf and season the mixture to taste.
Step 4
Nestle about two-thirds of the chunks of cheese in among the potatoes and onions, then scatter the rest over the top. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes at 180°C/Gas Mark 4, until golden brown and bubbling.
Step 5
Leave to settle for a few minutes, then serve with a salad of vinaigrette-dressed Little Gems and a few cornichons to cut through the creaminess of the Reblochon.
Step 6
Enjoy with a Burgundian oaked Chardonnay such as St Véran.

Fortnum & Mason Christmas and Other Winter Feasts cookbook cover with illustration of two men in red attire on a turquoise background.

From Fortnum & Mason: Christmas & Other Winter Feasts © 2019 by Tom Parker Bowles. Reprinted with permission by 4th Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Buy the full book from HarperCollins, Amazon, or Bookshop.