Chez Le Gaulois

Chez le Gaulois is a small restaurant in Sarlat and one of the first places we visited on our whirlwind tour of the Dordogne. They cure their own ham from locally raised pigs and , of course, make their own sausage. I could have cheerfully eaten nothing but this for the rest of the week . That's how good it was. They also make a very fine Tartiflette.

 

TARTIFLETTE

This dish isn't from the Dordogne. It comes from Savoy and is a splendid dish for cold weather and the appetites that come from a day of skiing. Save this for your winter repertoire. The day we ate at Chez Le Gaulois was cold and rainy, so we thought it was just perfect. This recipe is from Anne Willan's The Country Cooking of France.

TARTIFLETTE

(Serves 6 to 8)

• 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 6-ounces of lean smoked bacon, cut into lardons
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 6 to 8 waxy potatoes (about 3 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks.
• 1 pound Reblochon Cheese*

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the lardons and fry until lightly browned 3 to 5 minutes. Lift them out with a draining spoon and set aside. Add the onions and fry over medium heat until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the butter to the pan and heat until a piece of potato sizzles when added. Stir in the remaining potatoes and spread them in an even layer. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, 20 to 25 minutes. For the last 10 minutes of cooking, remove the pan lid so the potatoes become crisp. Meanwhile, trim away the rind and then thinly slice the cheese.

When the potatoes are done, stir in the lardons. Cover the mixture with the cheese slices and continue cooking over medium heat, without stirring, until the cheese has melted, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the heat to high and give a quick hot burst to the pan for 1 minute. Serve at once.

*may substitute Vacherin or Morbier cheese for the Reblochon

Comments

[janet]

Enjoying all your France posts, but this tops them all being the pig & pork lover that I am! Thank You! Oink!