Tartiflette is Bacon Crack

Actual results differ from those pictured

When you have 2lbs. of home cured bacon in your fridge your mind starts obsessing on all things cured, salted, and smoked. My dream’s now come bacon-wrapped, what a wonderful fat-free delight!

So it is...while waiting for my wife as she ran into the mall for a minute. I had my River Cottage Cookbook in the car. Flip it open, and there it is, Tartiflette. A rustic sounding dish made with bacon, onions, potatoes, cheese, and heavy cream. Although, I would like to imagine it being made 150 years ago in rural France I come to find out after a little research that it actually was created as a marketing ploy to sell cheese. Oh...well.

If you are the type to judge a book by its cover my poor dish would not garner even a taste. I over parboiled my red potatoes so my dish lost some texture and shape. My "gas-grill-as-oven" experiment failed so I was unable to get a bubbly golden cheese crust. Lucky for me I was able to look past appearance and enjoy a devilishly good dish.

Tartiflette (My adaptation)

8 oz. Quality bacon or pancetta diced
1 lb. Yukon Gold Potatoes (parboiled then sliced)
2 Small white onions sliced
2/3 Cup Heavy Cream

4-6 oz. Emmenthaler (Traditionally Reblochon but any good melting cheese will do)

Preheat oven to 450. Set potatoes to parboil. Add the diced bacon to pan and set heat on medium.


Once bacon has begun to crisp and rendered most of it's fat add onions and cook gently till soft and golden. Add sliced potatoes and cook a few minutes more until potatoes brown slightly and onions begin to caramelize.

Pour bacon, potato, onion mixture into oven safe casserole. Pour cream over top and add the shredded or sliced cheese. Dish can be baked in oven until bubbling or can be refrigerated to be finished later.

Finished dish may lack visual appeal(to be corrected) but damn if it wasn't tasty. Paired perfectly with a tannic but fruity 2005 Vacqueyras (Southern Rhone red blend).