The tartiflette is a specialty from the area I am from in France. It is a perfect comfort food. It is extremely popular in those ski resorts in Alpes mountains. Not quite diet friendly but I guess if you don't eat this too often it is not so bad.
With all those potatoes in our shares, I had in mind to make it for a long time but I was stuck with the cheese. It is, in fact, a very specific cheese you should use to make this dish: it is called Reblochon. Even though, some people have found it in the Stavanger area (Ostehuset or some Meny butikker) I have not yet. I decided to pick up a norwegian 'equivalent' for my recipe. I chose Ridder cheese. It turned out not too bad actually. The texture is not 100% the same but the taste was quite similar and it was a big succes at home tonight. Let me share this recipe with you.
1kg potatoes (skin on or not) sliced or diced
1 big or 2 small chopped onion (s)
ca 300g Ridderost (you may need a bit more than one pack of this cheese)
200g diced bacon (omit this for a vegetarian dish and add a bit more cheese)
2 Tbsp veg oil (or butter)
Garlic, Salt and pepper
Preheat oven 200°c
Heat the oil in a non stick pan, add the onion to slightly brown it. Once the onion is getting a bit darker add the potatoes (they should have been pat dry with a clean tea towel).
Sauté potatoes. When potatoes are almost cooked through add the bacon. Add salt (to taste) and pepper
Cut the cheese into thick slices.
Rub the garlic in an oven-proof dish. Then, start to add a layer of the potatoes / bacon mixture at the bottom, then cover with cheese then add another layer of potatoes and finish with the cheese.
Put in the oven for 20 min.
Enjoy with a simple salad and some white wine to drink.
Note: For a lighter dish, steam or boil the potatoes instead of stauté them and absorb the fat from the cooked bacon with a kitchen paper towel.
Note: Some people do add white wine or cream to the mix, I believe it is enough but it can be worth a try to make your own opinion.