24 February 2026

La tartiflette

Yesterday for lunch I made an au gratin potatoes dish called une tartiflette. It was invented, or at least named, by the producers of a cow's milk cheesecalled le Reblochon in the French Alps in the 1980s as a way to boost sales of their cheeses. Nowadays many more dairies and companies make cheeses that are marketed as fromages pour tartiflette. The authentic Reblochon version is still recognized as the best, but not by far (IMO).

You might notice that my tartiflette yesterday got a little more browned than I might have wanted, even though it still tasted pretty good. Président is what is referred to in France as an industrial dairy and is headquarted in the Mayenne département not far from Alençon in Normandy and Le Mans (of car racing fame), as well as to Angers (on the Loire) and Laval. Many recipes for making a tartiflette say to be sure it's well browned on top, and that's what mine was like. Other companies make "tartiflette" cheeses in other regions of France.

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