Tartiflette for Backcountry Skiing Power

by Lisa Dawson
written by Lisa Dawson
whitewater

Muted sun, floating over WH20, winter dream. Mid afternoon view from the top of the Glory Ridge lift, Whitewater ski area, Nelson, BC.

Another day of Canadian fun: a bit of skiing at Whitewater, then dinner with friends enjoying Tartiflette, a savory dish popular in the French Alps, the perfect apre ski meal.

Yummy!

Yummy!


Tartiflette

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 lb thickly chopped bacon
3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
1 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons creme fraiche
salt and pepper
1 wheel Reblochon cheese (can substitute Munster or stinky Camembert)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil potatoes in salted water until firm but not soft, about 10 minutes. Rinse with cold water, peel, and slice 1/4 inch thick. Fry onions and bacon in a small amount of olive oil. Butter a casserole dish, put a layer of half of the potatoes on the bottom, and sprinkle with half of onion/bacon mix. Repeat with remaining potatoes, onion and bacon. Spread creme fraiche on top. Top with wheel of cheese, cut horizontally, rind side up. Pour wine over all. Bake for 30-40 minutes until top is golden.

accoutrement

Proper accoutrements, compliments of our friends from Quebec.

dinner

The end of another dreamy day. Bon appetit!

17 comments
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17 comments

Lorne December 28, 2012 - 12:58 pm

Prepare for an onslaught of comments telling you where your tartiflette recipe is wrong. In truth, you can’t go wrong! Cook and mix potatoes, lardons (bacon), onions, cream and cheese in liberal amounts. And always cook more than you think you need!

Lou Dawson December 28, 2012 - 3:19 pm

Cooking gets way more personal than anything else here at WildSnow, but we just go for it and we’re willing to stand corrected.

Lisa December 28, 2012 - 3:56 pm

Perhaps I had one too many sips of Trois Pistoles, an excellent ale from Quebec, when our hosts were explaining the recipe. Or maybe it was the glass of Maudite? Regardless, I welcome your correction, especially if it will help me reproduce this delicious dish.

Evan December 28, 2012 - 5:44 pm

So glad you guys are having such a blast up here…you are not going to want to go home. Say hey to Cam for me.

Lou Dawson December 28, 2012 - 6:38 pm

waaaa, we have to leave soon…. I’ll even miss the hemp pastries

Cam December 28, 2012 - 6:51 pm

http://aladistasio.telequebec.tv/recettes/recette.aspx?id=45

This the actual one I made it from, but as Lou says…it’s potatoes, bacon, cheese and fat…you can’t go too wrong. If you can’t find reblochon, you can substitute a stinky camembert.

c

Rob S December 28, 2012 - 7:17 pm

I will certainly take no issue with Lisa’s recipe…for anyone who hasn’t tried this, providing any recipe is a service to mankind!

Lisa Dawson December 28, 2012 - 7:42 pm

Thanks Cam! I made the corrections.

Steven December 29, 2012 - 9:21 am

Is creme fraiche commonly available in grocery stores in North America? (have looked before and was unable to find it). If so, do you substitute or make from scratch yourself?

Peter Rothermel December 29, 2012 - 1:13 pm

I do a dish similar to yours, for our trips up to Mt Cain, but I substitute oysters for the potatoes. It’s a West Coast thing, if you get my drift. 😉

Frame December 30, 2012 - 6:20 am

Steven, ust use cream in lou (ba boom) of creme fraiche.
Amazing how something that smells so bad (reblochon) coming out of the fridge, is so tasty!

Fede December 30, 2012 - 7:17 am

Hi Lou, how are you doing? You should come to visit me, it’s the most common local food here im Annecy and haute savoie… Unluckily i don’t eat cheese 🙁

Lou Dawson December 30, 2012 - 7:41 am

Hi Fede, good to hear from you, indeed I might be around that area eventually but am not sure how many meals of that dish I can eat in a row, for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

Stuart December 30, 2012 - 8:33 am

Thanks Lisa,
I had this dish a couple of times when doing the
Walker’s Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt.
this September.
Now I can make it at home!

Nick December 30, 2012 - 9:43 pm

It is a pretty special thing that you can celebrate like this with your family, all enjoying the amazing experience that ski touring can offer. I only hope that one day my entire family can share a similar passion, whatever it is. Happy Holidays.

dmr January 11, 2013 - 1:50 am

Just stumbled upon this article.

Lisa, don’t worry about your tartiflette recipe. Even in the Aravis Mountains, where tartiflette (and Reblochon cheese) comes from, locals can’t agree from one village to the next what the “real” original recipe is.

Lou, if you get tired of tartiflette, there’s always fondue, raclette, or croziflette if you want to stick with cheese dishes, or diots (a local Savoyard sausage).

If you’re in Annecy head to Le Freti (http://www.lefreti.com/) for all things cheese.

Otherwise plenty of one to four star restaurants in the area that serve plenty more than just cheese and potatoes.

Cheers.

Comments are closed.