Potatoes Raclette using boiled potatoes.
Raclette may not be a household word in most American kitchens, but it should be. I first had the Swiss cheese when I was in Germany a few years ago served melted over potatoes. When I couldn’t find any locally, I sadly put the recipe aside. But I never forgot the tasty cheese-potato dish.
Then, last week, much to my surprise, I ran onto a chunk of Swiss raclette while scavenging the cheese display at Schnucks. I was so excited! I snatched it up right away and bought a few potatoes to give the dish a try. (I’ve since been told raclette can be had at Whole Foods and Trader Joe, as well.)
A wheel of raclette on the hearth. After scraping softened portions onto potatoes, the cheese is returned to the fire for further melting. Alternatively, cheese can be softened in a cast iron skillet in the oven, but with a watchful eye since it melts quickly.
So Simple, Yet So Good
The soft-textured cheese, made from raw cow’s milk, originated in the Swiss Alps hundreds of years ago. Traditionally, raclette was the fare of shepherds and farmers, who would place a block of cheese by a hearth or campfire. When the face of the cheese softened, the gooey goodness was scraped onto potatoes and served with pickles and onions.
Today melting is done with a raclette heating device or a small cast iron skillet placed under the broiler.
First Try
The recipe I made used boiled potatoes. (See photo above.) It also called for a topping of cornichons, but, alas, my cornichons were at the farm, so I subbed scallions tops. It wasn’t the same. Later, I found Martha’s Stewart’s recipe. She, too, had been smitten by the simple deliciousness of what was, basically, a two-ingredient recipe. Her video clip shows how to serve the cheese as an appetizer over fingerlings potatoes or small pieces of toast.
Martha Stewart’s potatoes raclette. If you’re looking for a different dish to serve during the Army-Navy game this weekend, this maybe just the thing.
Martha rubbed the slices in olive oil and browned them in the oven. This gave the slices a crispy exterior, that I hadn’t achieved in the more traditional boiling. She also cut the potatoes thinner. And, of course, she had cornichons in her pantry to give a pickley munch. She even used a raclette heater (a $20 collapsible gadget available at Amazon—though her heating gizmo looked a little more upscale). Raclette knives are also available for those who need more kitchen gadgetry.
Raclette (pronounced: “rah-klet“), comes from the French word racler, meaning “to scrape,” and that’s what you do. The melted portion of the cheese is scraped onto potatoes—or vegetables, bread, burgers, chips). Best served with a dry white wine.
Potatoes Raclette
Ingredients:
Martha Stewart and raclette heater
- 3/4 lbs. fingerling potatoes, sliced into 1/4″ rounds or lengthwise
- 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- Coarse salt
- 4 oz. thinly sliced raclette cheese
- Thinly sliced cornichons for topping
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss potatoes with olive oil and salt on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, tossing halfway through, until golden, about 17 minutes. Transfer potatoes to an ovenproof skillet. Top with raclette. Bake until bubbly, about 5 minutes.
Top with cornichons, and serve with toothpicks.
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