Anthony Bourdain's 5-Ingredient Side Dish Is My Forever Favorite

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It will make home cooks forget all about potatoes au gratin.

I've long been inspired by how Anthony Bourdain used food as a way to explore different cultures around the world. His bold approach to both food and life has encouraged me to be more adventurous in my cooking and to try ingredients and dishes that I might otherwise have avoided.

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"This would make home cooks forget about traditional potatoes au gratin," I knew I had to give it a try.

in the first place.

What Is Tartiflette?

Tartiflette is a traditional baked potato casserole from Savoy, France. It typically consists of potatoes, French bacon (known as lardons), onions, and cheese—a rich medley of satisfying ingredients.

This conversation couldn't be found. However, I can provide you with a paraphrased text for a recipe called "How to Make Anthony Bourdain's Tartiflette".

Cooking and stirring all the ingredients together in the bacon fat to enhance their flavors.

Next, drain the potatoes, add salt and pepper to season them, and mix them gently with the bacon mixture. I use a 1.5-quart casserole dish to create my layers, putting in half of the potato mixture, topping that with slices of Brie cheese, then another layer of potatoes and bacon bits before adding the final layer of cheese.

The recipe requires Reblochon, a semi-soft cheese from France that's got a strong smell - but it's a pleasant smell. However, finding Reblochon can be tough in the United States. If you can't find it, you can substitute it with Brie, although it won't have the same strong smell. If you prefer a bolder flavor, you might want to try Camembert instead. But since we're talking about a simple dish of potatoes and bacon, you can use any type of cheese - just pick one that melts well and has a bit of sharpness to it, like Gruyère, Fontina, or Asiago.

Build the tartiflette by covering it with a thick, creamy layer of Brie before placing it in a 175°C oven to bake for 20 minutes. That's when the magic begins. The cheese emerges golden and bubbly, while the potatoes develop an unexpected creaminess accompanied by the savory flavor of bacon.

This is a filling dish that is so good, it could be the star of the meal. At dinner, my daughter pushed hers aside and asked if there were more mashed potatoes. When I asked her why she said, "That's great because I'm going to save those all for last." To my surprise, she was hoarding them on her plate and I was thrilled.

Do you have a specific question or would you like more tips about this dish?

1. If you cook them for too long, they can become too soft and fall apart, making the dish mushy.
2. The recipe instructs you to boil whole potatoes, but peeling and chopping them beforehand will shave off some time and guarantee that the potatoes are cooked all the way through.
3. Cool water gradually warms the potatoes to the right temperature, ensuring they cook consistently. The salt integrates into the potatoes, so you won't need to add additional seasonings later on.
4. Crisp-cooked cubes of bacon - "lardons" - make this dish go from "cheesy potatoes" to "can't get enough of it" status. The recipe features slab bacon, which can be easily cut into small cubes, but you might end up paying more for it than sliced bacon. Just pick your preferred bacon and cut it into small pieces for the tartiflette - it will still turn out great.

What to Serve with Tartiflette, a Savory Revisit

Dressed in a tart vinaigrette. The acidity cuts through the tartiflette's creaminess. A glass of crisp white wine from the Savoie region would be the ideal match, but those are difficult to locate in the U.S. Nonetheless, any dry white wine will pair well with the dish.

Try new recipes while cooking. Although this dish wasn’t something I would have typically made, it will now be an annual favorite that my family looks forward to. In fact, making it is even easier than making potatoes au gratin, and I wouldn't have realized that if I hadn’t given it a try.

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