Aimee’s Tartiflette with Oka
It’s Food Day Canada! It’s also W’s 7th (!!) birthday. (When I started this blog, he was two.) We wound up sneaking away to Tofino early, and so today’s food included coffee from Tofino Coffee Co., bread from the 600 Degree Bakery at the weekend market, homemade ice cream in just-dipped waffle cones at Chocolate Tofino, fish tacos from Tacofino and homemade chocolate cupcakes with candles to blow out. All in the name of celebrating local food, of course, and a birthday.
Before we left, in an attempt to use up the last of what had an expiration date in the fridge, I made a tartiflette (a French dish from the Haute Savoie region of France traditionally made with potatoes, reblochon cheese, lardons and onions) using a small wheel of Oka and a recipe from my friend Aimee of Simple Bites. She shared her tartiflette for the July issue of Parents Canada, and I think this is the fourth time I’ve made it since. It’s incredible – better, even, than it looks like it will be upon scanning the ingredient list. The best way to serve it is straight from the pan, set on a trivet on the kitchen table with a handful of forks and a nook full of people.
It’s also a pretty fantastic way to use up those nuggety new potatoes – ’tis the season.
Tartiflette with Oka
adapted (because I’ve winged it a number of times now) from Aimee via Parents Canada
1 1/2 lbs thin skinned, yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
5-6 slices of bacon, chopped
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
a sprinkle of salt and good grind of pepper
a grating of fresh nutmeg
3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream or 18% coffee cream
1 small wheel Oka cheesePreheat oven to 350F. Cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, but still somewhat firm in the centre. Drain, cool slightly, and cut into smaller cubes or cut in half, if they’re new potatoes, unless they’re little.
In a heavy ovenproof skillet, cook the bacon until almost crisp; add the onion and continue cooking for two minutes. (If you like, deglaze with a good splash of white wine and simmer until the wine is reduced by half.) Add the cubed potatoes, salt and pepper and nutmeg and mix well. Drizzle the cream over the top. Remove the rind from the bottom of the cheese and lightly scratch the top rind of the cheese with a knife. Place the cheese, rind side up, on top of the potato mixture.
Bake for 40 -45 minutes until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are cooked through.
Serve immediately. Serves 6.
August 04 2012 11:56 pm | one dish and veg and vegetarian
Jennifer Jo on 05 Aug 2012 at 1:55 pm #
No Oka cheese here. What to use in place?
CathyH on 05 Aug 2012 at 5:10 pm #
Potatoes, cheese, cream. What else is there to say???
Happy Geek on 05 Aug 2012 at 6:24 pm #
Holy crow that looks good. Not exactly health food, but really really good.
Gail on 06 Aug 2012 at 8:36 pm #
Halved the recipe and made it for the hubby and I for dinner tonight. Had a homemade boule and greek salad with it. It was delicious – as hubby said, potatoes good, cheese good, bacon good – all together really good!
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Christine on 07 Aug 2012 at 11:01 am #
I made it without the cream and I cubed the OKA and just kind of stirred it in. Not health food but marginally less fat!
Laurie from Burnaby on 07 Aug 2012 at 12:29 pm #
sounds wonderful! I’ll have to make it
Vivian on 07 Aug 2012 at 8:19 pm #
Jennifer Jo…maybe gruyere? Not as melty but maybe you could add some Camembert? Oka is available at Superstore as far as I know.
Carla on 08 Aug 2012 at 10:12 pm #
Hey Julie! We are going to be in Tofino this weekend on holidays and it is my daughters 9th birthday – any suggestions for a great bakery to get a cake or cupcakes? Thanks in advance!!
Carla
Tawcan on 09 Aug 2012 at 12:41 pm #
Yummy that looks good.