French Food Friday....Tartiflette

A staple of those chalet restaurants that dot the ski slopes of the Savoie.

The traditional accompaniments are charcuterie, gherkins and pickled silver-skin onions. A plain green salad with a mustardy vinaigrette is a good foil.

Ingredients:
1.3kg (3lb) waxy potatoes, skins on
35g (1¼oz) unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
250g (9oz) chunky bacon lardons
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 reblochon, about 350g (12oz)

Method:

1. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain. When they are cool enough to handle, slice them.
2. Heat half the butter and half the oil in a sauté pan and cook the potatoes until they are golden. Season and put in a shallow ovenproof dish.

3. Heat the rest of the butter and oil in the same pan and cook the lardons over a fairly high heat to colour them. Turn down the heat, add the onion and cook until soft and beginning to colour. Throw in the garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes. Add this to the potatoes and gently combine.

4. Slice the reblochon, remove the skin, and lay on top of the potato.

5. Bake in an oven, preheated to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5, for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Serve immediately.

Bon appetit a tous.....Leeann x