Tartiflette (French Potato, Bacon and Cheese Gratin)

Name: Tartiflette (French Potato, Bacon and Cheese Gratin)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 2 ¼ pounds (1 kg) Yukon gold potatoes ((or other waxy potatoes)); ¼ pound (113 grams) slab or thick-cut bacon (diced); 1 large onion or 2 small onions (halved and thinly sliced); Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; ¾ cup dry white wine; ¼ cup heavy cream or crème fraîche; 1 pound (445 grams) Reblochon-style cheese (sliced into slabs about ¼-inch-thick)

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Tartiflette is the ultimate comfort food! It’s made of sliced potatoes, bacon, onions, cheese, and pure love. It’s perhaps one of the best cheesy carb creations you’ll ever try! This is what cozy Alpine cuisine is all about.

A casserole of sliced potatoes, bacon and onions, topped with slices of soft ripened French cheese.

If you love potatoes, bacon, onions, and cheese, you will love Tartiflette. It’s a beloved après-ski favorite originating from the Haute-Savoie region of the French Alps. Although it’s extremely popular in the colder months of the year, I can’t imagine a time of year when I wouldn’t welcome a plate of gooey, cheesy tartiflette.

Finding the “correct” type of cheese to make authentic Savoyard tartiflette in the United States will prove impossible. That’s because French Reblochon cheese, which is the official cheese used in tartiflette, cannot be imported into the US because it’s unpasteurized and made with raw milk.

Even if you find something labeled as “Reblochon cheese,” it will not be the same product as what you can get in France. Don’t panic! You can still make a fantastic tartiflette with some alternative, deliciously similar cheese options.

A serving spoon scooping tartiflette out of a casserole dish with gooey cheese dripping down.

Aside from sourcing the right cheese, tartiflette is otherwise quite simple to make! Just boil, peel, and slice some potatoes, cook the bacon and onions, and then assemble into a layered casserole with cheese before baking.

It really is the epitome of comfort. You don’t need to be skiing in the French Alps to enjoy this dish. Just follow the recipe and treat yourself to a plate of carby, cheesy comfort. Swoon!

Ingredient notes

Ingredients for tartiflette on a light grey background.

Potatoes: Use a waxy type of potato, such as Yukon gold. They are better at retaining their shape and not falling apart.
Bacon: Use slab or thick-cut bacon and either dice it into cubes or slice it into lardons (little strips about ¼-inch wide and 1 inch long).
Cheese: Authentic Savoyard tartiflette is made with Reblochon cheese. It’s a soft rind cheese that has been unavailable for import to the United States since 2004, as it is unpasteurised and made with raw milk. You can find some pasteurized cheeses that are similar in the US, which is why the recipe calls for Reblochon-style cheese. Aim for a cheese with a soft rind that is made from cow’s milk. For this post and its photos I was able to have a local gourmet grocery store (Fox Point Grocers) special order a wheel of Préféré de nos Montagnes for me–it never hurts to ask your local cheese shop(s) or specialty foods shops if they can do the same. Here are some examples of cheeses you could try:
- Préféré de nos Montagnes (preferred choice; what I’ve used in these photos)
- Delice du Jura (preferred choice)
- Jasper Hill Willoughby
- Jasper Hill Moses Sleeper
- Brie
- Camembert
- Taleggio
- Délice de Bourgogne (this is a type of Brillat-Savarin cheese, a triple cream cheese–think of it as an extra rich version of Brie, although a bit more pungent. It’s not really the right cheese but it’s an interesting and tasty variation)

Préféré de nos Montagnes cheese in its wrapper.

Préféré de nos Montagnes cheese unwrapped.

How to make it

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water.

Six potatoes submerged in water in a large pot.

Season generously with salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Then lower the heat and simmer until tender and easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and set aside to slightly cool.

Meanwhile, place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F (190°C). Place the diced bacon in a cold skillet or saute pan and place over medium heat. Allow the bacon to render and start to crisp, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. If there is a lot of rendered fat, remove some of the excess leaving only about 1 tablespoon in the pan.

Add the sliced onion and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring regularly, until the onions soften, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Sliced raw onion added to a skillet of diced cooked bacon.

Diced bacon and sliced onion cooked together in a skillet.

Add white wine and cook until most of it evaporates, about 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside.

White wine added to a skillet of cooked diced bacon and sliced onion.

A mixture of diced bacon and sliced onion simmered in white wine until reduced.

Peel and slice the potatoes into ¼-inch-thick slices.

Six potatoes on a cutting board, a few unpeeled, a couple peeled, and one peeled and sliced.

Arrange half the slices in the bottom of either a 10-inch cast iron skillet or a 3-quart baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.

Sliced boiled potatoes arranged in an even layer in a casserole dish, seasoned with salt and pepper.

Top with half the bacon, onion and white wine mixture and then half the cheese.

A mixture of cooked bacon and onions spread over sliced potatoes in a casserole dish.

Slices of soft ripened cheese arranged over potatoes, bacon, and onions in a casserole dish.

Repeat with the remaining potato slices, season them, and then top with the remaining onion, bacon, and wine mixture.

Sliced boiled potatoes arranged in a casserole dish to create a second layer.

More cooked bacon and onions spread over the second layer of sliced boiled potatoes.

Drizzle the heavy cream or dollop the crème fraîche over the top and then arrange the remaining slices of cheese evenly.

Heavy cream drizzled over a casserole dish of sliced boiled potatoes, onions, and bacon.

Sliced soft ripened cheese arranged as a final layer in a rectangular casserole dish before baking.

Bake until golden brown and bubbling throughout, about 35 to 40 minutes.

A rectangular casserole dish of tartiflette.

Let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving to allow it to set.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

A potato, bacon, onion, and cheese casserole with a small portion scooped out.

Expert tips

Tartiflette is best enjoyed immediately. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For the best results, I prefer to store leftovers in a small baking dish (covered with foil) and then reheating in a 350°F (175°C) oven until heated through. Keep it covered with foil until it’s mostly heated through and then remove it near the end to finish heating until bubbly. How long it will take to reheat depends on the amount of leftovers and the size of the baking dish but plan for 15 to 20 minutes or longer if needed. Keep in mind that when reheating, the oil tends to separate from the cheese (similar to reheating macaroni and cheese).

Whether you want to trim off some of the rind off your cheese is a personal preference. For the record, I do NOT remove the rind from my cheese. My recommendation is to slice the cheese into slabs or planks about ¼-inch thick. I find it’s easier to distribute the cheese evenly this way. You could also cut the cheese into large discs parallel to your work surface, but they will yield thicker slabs and would be better to just arrange on top (rind side up) instead of layering in the middle as well.

Slices of soft ripened cheese arranged over sliced potatoes, bacon, and onions.

For a fun alternative, you could bake tartiflette in smaller individual baking dishes or tiny cast iron skillets. You could also use a similar approach to baking a smaller amount to enjoy fresh one day and then assemble and bake the rest another day rather than reheating it. It will always taste best served immediately rather than reheated!

I have tested different methods of cooking the potatoes for this recipe.

Method 1: peeling, slicing, and then boiling the potato slices
Method 2: boiling the potatoes whole, peeling gently with a paring knife, and then slicing the potatoes

I recommend the second method, which is what I share in my recipe. It takes longer for the potatoes to boil, however it avoids the potatoes becoming waterlogged and potentially overcooking and falling apart. Additionally, in the time that it takes to boil the potatoes, you can simultanesouly cook the bacon and onion mixture so the longer time cancels out.

I also prefer slicing the potatoes about ¼-inch thick and find it easier to distribute into 2 even layers in my baking dish. Thicker slices would yield less total slices and leave gaps. To slice them that thin before boiling them could be a disaster, so that's yet another reason to boil whole and then peel and slice.

Tartiflette in a rectangular ceramic casserole dish.

FAQs

Can I make tartiflette vegetarian?

So here’s the thing. Even if you were to omit the bacon, the types of cheese you would use to make tartiflette are actually NOT vegetarian. All of these Reblochon-style soft rind cheeses are typically made with animal rennet, so they aren’t vegetarian. You are welcome to get creative and try other vegetarian cheeses, but the experience, flavor, and overall results will vary.

Can I prepare tartiflette in advance?

To some degree, yes. Cook the potatoes and the bacon/onion mixture up to a couple days in advance and refrigerate them separately until needed. Then, assemble the layers and bake. I don’t recommend assembling the entire casserole in advance because the sliced cheese can dry out. Although you could also bake the entire casserole and then reheat it in the oven, the oil tends to separate from the cheese when you do this, so it's not the best method.

What should I serve with tartiflette?

Serve tartiflette with a green salad dressed with vinaigrette. The tart and acidic flavors in the salad will balance the rich cheese in the dish.

What should I drink with tartiflette?

To drink, complement your tartiflette with a nicely chilled glass of white wine. All the better if you can find a wine from the Savoy / Savoie region of France! It would also pair nicely with a Chardonnay or a Gewürztraminer from Alsace. Again, the natural acidity in the wine will help cut through the richness of the cheesy tartiflette.

A scoop of tartiflette on a white plate with a fork.

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