🧀 1. Tartiflette Savoyarde: Authenticity from the Alps
In Haute-Savoie, tartiflette is the ultimate mountain dish. Potatoes, onions, bacon, and above all, reblochon, a melt-in-your-mouth, fragrant raw milk cheese.
This gratin was invented in the 1980s to bring reblochon back into fashion—and it has since conquered the whole of France.
🧂 Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 kg potatoes
- 1 farmhouse reblochon (or equivalent, see below)
- 200 g smoked bacon bits
- 2 onions
- 20 cl crème fraîche
- 1 glass dry white wine
- Salt, pepper, butter
🍳 Preparation
- Cook the potatoes for 10 minutes in boiling salted water.
- Sauté the onions and bacon bits, then add the white wine.
- Add the cream and pepper.
- Arrange the potatoes and filling in layers in a dish.
- Cover with Reblochon cheese cut in half, rind side up.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 200°C.
🧀 American alternative
Reblochon cheese is not imported into the United States. Replace it with:
- Fontina (mild and creamy taste, melts very well)
- or Raclette cheese (available in several states, stronger flavor). For a result closer to Reblochon, mix: ⅔ Fontina + ⅓ Brie.
🧭 But between us, nothing beats real French Reblochon...
🫕 2. French raclette: a convivial meal
Raclette comes from the Swiss Alps, but the French adopted it long ago. The principle is simple: melt the cheese and pour it over hot potatoes, accompanied by charcuterie and cornichons.
It's the perfect winter meal to share with friends.
🧂 Ingredients (serves 4)
- 800 g raclette cheese
- 1.2 kg firm potatoes
- 200 g assorted charcuterie
- Pickles, pickled onions
🍳 Preparation
- Steam the potatoes.
- Melt the cheese in a raclette machine or in the oven.
- Pour the melted cheese over the potatoes.
- Serve with the cold cuts and condiments.
🧀 American alternative
- Swiss Gruyère or imported Swiss Emmental: melt well and are easy to find.
- American raclette (brands from Wisconsin or Vermont Creamery): perfect for a “made in the USA” raclette.
- Provolone is also suitable for a melt-in-the-mouth texture.
🧭 French raclette from Savoie still has a unique, milder and fruitier taste!
🥣 3. Aligot from Aubrac: the dish that stretches!
This dish from the Massif Central is a purée enriched with fresh tome cheese.
Originally served to pilgrims on the Way of St. James, aligot has become a symbol of southern French cuisine. It should stretch like a ribbon when you lift the spoon!
🧂 Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 kg potatoes
- 400 g fresh Tome d'Aubrac (or young Cantal)
- 20 cl cream
- 50 g butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- Salt, pepper
🍳 Preparation
- Cook the potatoes in salted water, then mash them.
- Heat the cream and butter, then add them to the mashed potatoes.
- Add the crushed garlic.
- Stir in the shredded cheese and mix until the purée is smooth.
🧀 American alternative
Fresh Tome d'Aubrac cheese is not available in the United States. Try:
- Low-moisture mozzarella + Monterey Jack (half and half)
- or grated Provolone + a touch of cream cheese for creaminess.
🧭 But nothing beats the silky texture of real fresh Tome d'Aubrac cheese...
🧆 4. Gratin Dauphinois: simple elegance
Gratin Dauphinois, originally from the Dauphiné region, is one of the most famous French dishes in the world.
Traditionally, it contains neither cheese nor eggs, only cream, milk, and butter. But many modern versions add cheese to make it even creamier.
🧂 Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 kg potatoes
- 50 cl cream
- 25 cl milk
- 30 g butter
- 1 clove garlic
- Nutmeg, salt, pepper
🍳 Preparation
- Rub the dish with garlic.
- Cut the potatoes into thin slices.
- Arrange them in layers, season with salt and pepper.
- Pour over the milk and cream mixture.
- Dot with butter and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes at 160°C.
🧀 American alternative
For a “cheesy gratin” version, add:
- Gruyère, Havarti, or Sharp Cheddar (mild).
🧭 But the real gratin dauphinois doesn't use cheese: that's the secret to its creaminess!
🍝 5. Croziflette: tartiflette with pasta
Invented in the ski resorts of Savoie, croziflette replaces potatoes with crozet, small square buckwheat pasta.
The rest remains faithful to tartiflette: onions, bacon, cream, and Reblochon cheese.
Des crozets Par Popo le Chien — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50430375
🧂 Ingredients (serves 4)
- 300 g crozets (or small short pasta such as ditalini)
- 1 reblochon
- 150 g smoked bacon bits
- 1 onion
- 20 cl cream
- Pepper
🍳 Preparation
- Cook the crozets for 15 minutes in salted water.
- Fry the bacon and onion.
- Mix everything together with the cream.
- Pour into a dish and cover with Reblochon cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 200°C.
🧀 American alternative
- Fontina or Raclette cheese for a melt-in-the-mouth texture.
- If unavailable: Brie (rind removed) works well.
🧭 But with real Reblochon from Savoie, croziflette takes on a whole new dimension...
💡 Why Americans love these dishes so much
These recipes are true “French comfort foods”: they are simple, generous, full of cheese and history.
Americans love them because they offer:
- Creamy and comforting textures.
- Simple and adaptable ingredients.
- And above all: a local history that is typically French.
❓ FAQ – French recipes made with potatoes and cheese (US version)
Can French cheeses be found in the United States?
Yes! Pasteurized French cheeses such as Brie, Camembert, Comté, and Raclette are available at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.
How can you replace Reblochon in the United States?
Use a mixture of Fontina and Brie or American Raclette cheese.
Can you make aligot without French cheese?
Yes, with a mixture of Mozzarella and Monterey Jack, but the texture will be less refined.
Are these dishes popular in the United States?
More and more! Raclette and tartiflette are creating a buzz on American social media, especially in winter.
Where can you find French products?
Stores such as Wegmans, Eataly, and Murray’s Cheese offer a nice selection of imported French cheeses.
