With everything a little unusual right now, especially when it comes to planning your holidays, it can be easy to feel disheartened. However, just because we can’t travel just now there is no reason to stop daydreaming about all the future trips on the horizon!
Considering booking a ski holiday in the French Alps this winter will give you something to look forward to while you’re stuck at home, and by sampling some of the great food you’ll be eating when you come in from a hard day on the slopes, you’ll really be able to set the scene!
Tartiflette is a classic Alpine dish and making it in your kitchen at home will fill your house with the smells that you’ll be enjoying on the snowy French mountains. If that isn’t tempting, what is?
Food of the Mountains
Although this dish was originally developed to help sell a particular style of cheese, it has become synonymous with the delicious hearty cuisine of the French Alps. Despite not being a traditional recipe, as such, there is still a lot to be said (and enjoyed!) about this immensely popular dish.
What’s in a Name?
The name comes from the Savoyarde word for potatoes which, if you’ve eaten it, you know are a fundamental component of the dish. But although it’s named for potatoes, the inventors of the dish actually took their inspiration from a more traditional Alpine meal, péla – which you can still find in restaurants around the slopes, albeit not as frequently. Although it’s essentially the product of a great marketing scheme, if you’ve tasted it, you’ll know it was always destined to be a success.
A New Classic
But it really doesn’t matter whether it’s old or new, this kind of mouthwatering dish is perfect for the climate and the activities you’ll soon be out doing on the mountain. It’s soul-warming, rich and oh-so-tasty, which makes it perfect for refuelling your energy in the cold weather.
Recipe
As it’s not a traditional dish there hasn’t yet become an iron-clad way of cooking it, and you’ll probably find quite a few variations. So why not experiment in your kitchen to find out how it works best for you?
Below is a basic recipe that will deliver excellent results every time.
With the oven preheated to 190-degrees Celsius:
- Par boil 1kg of waxy potatoes (leave the skins on!) and then chop into small cubes.
- Fry those potatoes gently in a little butter until they have some colour – then put them to one side.
- Sauté one sliced onion with around 200g of lardons until the onions have browned slightly. With the pan on a medium heat add 150ml of dry white wine and simmer it until it has reduced completely.
- Take it off the heat and add 150ml of heavy cream, then season to taste.
- Cover an oven-proof dish with about half of your diced potatoes and then cover with half of the onion/lardons.
- Cut a 450g block of reblochon cheese in half and place it over the onions (spreading it out if needed). Then repeat the steps again (potatoes, onion mixture, cheese) so you have two layers of everything.
- Finally, bake for around 15 minutes until that cheese is bubbling and has gone a delicious golden colour.
Not Just for Dinner
While this makes a brilliant dinner on a cold evening, it is also really fantastic the next morning too. Simply reheat your tartiflette and add an egg (I prefer poached, but fried works too).
A Taste of the Alps
This dish is a hearty, filling and warming meal, so you might not think it’s something that you’d want to cook over the summer. But (thankfully, in this case!) we live in a country where the weather is anything but predictable, and this makes a great meal (any night of the week) when it is cold and drizzling out.
And heavy or not, the taste and texture of this dish is amazing and it’s guaranteed to get you excited for what’s to come on your trip to the Alps this winter!
How to Get There
Getting to the French Alps from the UK could not be simpler, and there are a number of airports you can fly to for your skiing holiday. Fly to Lyon airport or Grenoble from the UK, where plentiful flights throughout the winter can get you to within easy reach of the Alpine resorts.
Now is also a good time to start thinking about onward travel logistics, and I would recommend booking an airport transfer with Shuttle Direct to make getting to your hotel easy and stress free. Getting up those mountains can require a bit of organisation, it’s definitely best to leave it to a professional driver at Shuttle Direct to provide their excellent service.
About Shuttle Direct
At Shuttle Direct we pride ourselves on our teams of professional drivers and well-maintained, modern vehicles. Our mission is to make sure your holiday starts and ends without any disruption, so you can enjoy every carefree minute. We are the airport transfer company to rely on so make a pre-booking before you leave and we’ll be there to get you wherever you need to go.
