Chef John from Food Wishes recently stumbled upon a recipe he never knew existed -- tartiflette. Tartiflette is a bacon and potato casserole topped with Reblochon, a type of soft French cheese made from raw milk. On his YouTube channel, Chef John calls tartiflette "the greatest potato casserole of all time." 

Unfortunately, cheeses made from unpasteurized milk are banned in the United States, but there are several replacements that can easily be found. In his recipe, Chef John uses a local alternative, but for those without a local raw-milk cheese shop in their area can purchase soft cheeses like Epoissse online.

Once you have your soft cheese of choice ready, the rest of the ingredients for this dish are quite simple. 

You'll need:

3 pounds russet potatoes
12 ounces bacon
2 large onions
1/2 cup white wine
3/4 cup crème fraîche
1 pound Reblochon cheese or alternative soft cheese (Epoisses, Dancing Fern, Brie, Camembert, etc)
salt, black pepper, cayenne 

Begin by dicing the bacon up into small sections. Cook over a medium heat until the fat separates from the bacon and then remove the excess fat with a paper towel.

Once the fat is removed, add in onions either chopped or sliced. Cook on medium until onions are soft and browned. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. 

Simmer the potatoes in salted water and cook until the potatoes are soft, but still slightly firm. If the potatoes are mushy and falling apart, they've cooked too long. 

After they've cooked and cooled, cut them into slices and line the bottom of a casserole dish.

Add your bacon and onion concoction on top of the potatoes, and then add another layer of sliced potatoes on top.

Here's where your soft cheese comes in. Typically these types of cheeses are sold in circles. Cut the circle in fourths, cutting once lengthwise through the center of the cheese and cutting once top wise. 

After covering the top layer of potatoes with crème fraîche, add the cheese on top with the rind side up. If there is paper attached to the rind of the cheese, make sure to remove it!

Cook at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. When it's done, let it cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

Enjoy! Eating the rinds of the cheese is perfectly healthy, but it's also okay to eat around or remove them if preferred. Chow Hound readers have found this dish works with a variety of cheese types and mixtures, like Brie and Legato, so feel free to experiment! 

A video of Chef John preparing the dish can be found below.

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