I lived in France for a year between school and university, and spent most of my year with a loving family who loved to cook, eat and hike so I had a wonderful time. We lived near the alps and my French mum Isabelle introduced me to the many varieties of cheese in la Savoie and their delicious uses. Cheese is expensive, even in France, but for special occasions a tartiflette is a real treat. The bacon on top was to appease Sir Stu, but I prefer it without and serve the cheesy potatoes with a simple green salad. Reblochon is hard to find, but thankfully I have a wonderful fromagerie at Dulwich Hill which has a beautiful selection of cheese.
Ingredients (for 2 hungry people)
- 1/4 reblochon cheese (it must be reblochon, otherwise it isn’t tartiflette!)
- 1 tbs creme fraiche
- 8-10 baby potatoes
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Boil the potatoes until tender and drain.
- Tip the potatoes into a small baking dish and stir through the creme fraiche and a bit of salt and pepper.
- Slice the reblochon in half, and place on top of the potatoes.
- Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and has made a gooey sauce.
I also learned how to make salad dressing when I was in France. A green salad preceded almost every meal, nothing fancy or difficult, just quality ingredients served simply. The typical ratio for salad dressing is:
- 3 tbs oil (best quality, walnut or virgin olive oil are the best in my opinion)
- 1 tbs acid (lemon, or apple cider vinegar are my favourites)
- 1 tsp mustard (Dijon mustard is my favourite to use)
- salt and pepper
Place all the ingredients in a cup and beat with a spoon or fork until slightly emulsified, or place in a screw top jar and shake.
