Raclette (Melted Cheese over Potatoes)

Name: Raclette (Melted Cheese over Potatoes)
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 to 3 servings
Cuisine: Switzerland
Ingredients: 680 g small waxy potatoes, such as fingerlings, baby Yukon Golds or red bliss, skin on; salt, for the water; 225–340 g raclette cheese, about 4 oz per person; cornichons or small dill pickles; pickled pearl onions; thinly sliced cured meats, such as prosciutto, bresaola or viande des Grisons; crusty bread (optional)

Also called raclette with steamed potatoes

Melted raclette cheese scraped over hot steamed potatoes, with cornichons, pickled onions and cured meats.

Makes: 2 to 3 servings
Total: 30 min

Gluten-free

Ingredients

Scale

Pan sizes, times and temperatures in the method are not scaled.

680 g1½ lbsmall waxy potatoes, such as fingerlings, baby Yukon Golds or red bliss, skin on
salt, for the water
225–340 g8–12 ozraclette cheese, about 4 oz per person
cornichons or small dill pickles
pickled pearl onions
thinly sliced cured meats, such as prosciutto, bresaola or viande des Grisons
crusty bread (optional)

Method

Steam the potatoes. Set them in a steamer basket over an inch of salted water and steam 18 to 22 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Keep them covered and warm. Without a steamer, simmer them in salted water for the same time.
Melt the cheese, whichever way suits your kitchen. Raclette grill: cut the cheese into small portions and melt them in the little pans. Broiler: lay thick slices on an ovenproof plate or small cast-iron pan and broil 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbling and just starting to brown. Skillet: heat a small nonstick pan, add a thick slab of cheese, cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until melted and golden underneath.
Serve. Split the hot potatoes, scrape the melted cheese over them and serve with the cornichons, onions and meats alongside.

Notes

Eating it. Crush a hot potato with a fork, drape the cheese over and top with a cornichon and a curl of meat.
Don't skip the pickles. Their acid cuts the richness.
On the side. A butter lettuce salad with Shallot-Dijon Vinaigrette.