Gina Jessica Smith Years ago, Terrance Brennan, the chef-owner of Artisanal, and also the chef-owner of Picholine, both in Manhattan, was in Gruyères, Switzerland, and ate his first raclette. The dish is named after a firm cow cheese used in this almost too-simple, but nevertheless hearty, tasty dish of melted cheese on cooked potato slices.
“The cheese is held in a vise of curved metal,” he said, “and you put the vise 12 inches from the fire, and push it back and forth, so the cheese melts.” The server scrapes the melted cheese onto a plate that holds cooked potatoes, and cornichon.
For the home cook, Mr. Brennan created a version that can be finished off in the oven, in minutes. You slice cooked potatoes, drape the warm potatoes with thin slices of raclette (or Gruyère or Comté) , and put them in the oven until the cheese melts. He suggests serving a raclette with cornichon, other kinds of pickled vegetables, or a salad.
The home version differs from what he ate in Switzerland only in ambiance. “It’s not as romantic as a fire,” he said.
At Artisanal, if raclette is not on the menu, a customer may request it. “We have potatoes, and we have cheese,” he said.
;){kind=link}
Ingredients
- 1 pound (about 12) fingerling potatoes
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, or as needed
- 10 ounces Raclette, or hard mountain cheeses like Emmenthaler or Gruyere, thinly sliced
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 scallions, trimmed, and sliced diagonally in 1/8 inch strips
- Cornichons, pickled onions or pickled cauliflower, optional.
Method
- 1. In a large pot combine 8 cups water, potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt. Place over high heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 15 to 25 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- 2. If you have oven-proof plates, preheat a broiler. If you do not have oven-proof plates, preheat oven to 250 degrees. When cool enough to handle, cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Divide the warm potatoes, cut-side up, evenly among four plates, arranging them in a pinwheel pattern.
- 3. Arrange one quarter of the cheese slices in a single layer over each portion of potatoes, taking care to completely cover all potatoes. Broil or bake until cheese melts, about 3 minutes in a broiler or 10 minutes in an oven.
- 4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, garnished with scallions sprinkled on top. Cornichons, pickled onions and pickled cauliflower are optional accompaniments. If desired, the dish may be served with a green salad.
Source: Adapted from Terrance Brennan, the chef-owner of Artisanal, and also the chef-owner of Picholine