Tartiflette: Bacon & Reblochon Potato Bake

Tartiflette is the French Alpine answer to the ultimate comfort food: a cast-iron skillet filled with crispy bacon, caramelized onions, and waxy potatoes, all baked under a whole wheel of Reblochon cheese until the top blisters into a crackling, golden canopy. It's a dish that feels like a warm cabin retreat after a day on the slopes, but it's simple enough for a weeknight dinner.

This tartiflette recipe brings the flavors of the French Alps to your kitchen with a handful of ingredients and one skillet. It starts with crisped bacon and slowly caramelized onions, deglazed with dry white wine, then folded with parboiled potatoes and a touch of cream.

A halved Reblochon cheese wheel goes on top, and the whole thing bakes until the cheese melts down through the layers and the surface blisters into a savory, crackly crust. Serve it straight from the pan for a rustic, hearty meal that pairs perfectly with a green salad and crusty bread.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

The method here is built on layering flavors and textures. Cooking the bacon first renders out fat that becomes the base for the onions, infusing them with smoky depth.

Deglazing with white wine lifts the browned bits from the pan and adds a bright, fruity acidity that balances the richness of the cheese and cream. Parboiling the potatoes before baking ensures they're tender and creamy inside, while the high oven temperature creates a golden, blistered crust on the cheese.

Reblochon is the soul of tartiflette. Its washed rind gives an earthy, slightly pungent aroma that mellows into a nutty, buttery flavor as it melts. Halving the wheel exposes the creamy interior, which flows down between the potato slices, while the rind on top crisps and blisters. The result is a gratin that's molten and gooey in the center, with a crackling, savory top that begs to be broken with a spoon.

Notes and substitutions

Use waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or red potatoes — they hold their shape during parboiling and baking, giving the tartiflette a pleasant bite. Floury potatoes would break down and turn mushy. Parboil the slices just until barely tender, about 5 minutes, so they finish cooking in the oven without becoming pasty.

Reblochon is a French Alpine cheese with a creamy interior and a distinctive washed rind; it's available at many specialty cheese counters. If you can't find it, look for a similar soft washed-rind cheese like Saint-Nectaire or Port Salut.

A 10-inch cast-iron skillet is ideal here — it goes from stovetop to oven and keeps the tartiflette hot at the table. If you don't have one, use any oven-safe skillet or a baking dish, and transfer the cooked bacon-onion mixture to the dish before adding the potatoes.

The wine should be dry and crisp; a Savoie wine like Apremont is traditional, but any dry white like Sauvignon Blanc works. If you prefer to skip alcohol, substitute with an equal amount of chicken or vegetable broth, though the flavor will be slightly different.

• Reblochon cheese: Substitute with a similar washed-rind cheese like Port Salut or Saint-Nectaire, or use a mix of Gruyère and Brie for a milder flavor.
• Savoie wine: Use any dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio; or substitute with dry vermouth for a similar acidity.
• Smoked bacon lardons: Use thick-cut bacon strips, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces; or pancetta for a less smoky flavor.
• Heavy cream: Use crème fraîche for a tangier finish, or half-and-half for a lighter sauce (the gratin will be slightly less rich).

Equipment

• 10-inch cast-iron skillet
• Large pot for parboiling potatoes
• Chef's knife
• Cutting board
• Wooden spoon or spatula
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Oven mitts