Resourceful and creative – New Year bits and bats

It will be the 23^rd December when you read this post, so too late for Christmas ideas but not for celebrations you're planning for New Year.

My suggestion for New Year – whether it's as part of a lunch, a supper or even an informal dinner party is my most favourite potato dish – Tartiflette. It's no surprise that it's French using Reblochon cheese. Reblochon is expensive but worth the treat so why not indulge - however it's quite difficult to source, especially if you live “in the sticks” - in other words the countryside. I found it impossible to find in the US so, if you need an alternative basically any cheese that melts easily will do – for example two of my absolute favourites gruyere and taleggio or even a ripe camembert.

Traditionally Tartiflette includes bacon – dry cured if at all possible. I'm a spanner in the works being a veggie – I'd omit the bacon.

Tartiflette

1.5kg/3lb 5oz all purpose potatoes, e.g. Desirée, peeled

and cut to a similar size

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 thick dry cured smoked streaky bacon rashers, finely chopped

50g/2oz butter

1 garlic clove or roasted garlic

250g/9oz Reblochon cheese, rind trimmed and removed

Pre-heat oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4.

Boil the potatoes until cooked, cool, then slice.

Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the onion and bacon until softened. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the inside of an ovenproof dish – or foil if more convenient – my dish measures 23x23x8cms – 9x9x3¼” . If you're using roasted garlic, spread it around the inside.

Place some of the potato slices in the bottom and season with salt and black pepper then layer with the onion and bacon, repeat until all the potato slices have been used, seasoning between each layer.

Chop the cheese and scatter over the potatoes and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, remove the foil for the remaining 15 minutes to enable the tartiflette to crisp around the edges.

The beauty of this dish is that it can be prepared ahead. If you're a lover of garlic then don't be afraid to include 2 tsps of garlic paste when you're cooking the onions and bacon – rules are made to be broken.

If I were you I'd be keeping my fingers crossed for leftovers – it's even better the following day warmed, creating even more crispy edges. Happy days.

Thank you for reading my missives – Merry Christmas everyone!