When the weather outside is frightful... warm up with a hearty tartiflette.

Northern Europe has been hit by one of the worst Decembers in living memory; we are all knee deep in snow, shivering to the bone and even the prospect of a White Christmas isn't enough to compensate for the recent spate wintery weather. However, all is not lost, for with snow and ice comes the excuses to snuggle up warm inside cosy houses and eat some proper hearty food.

Tartiflette is not for the faint-hearted; cream, cheese and potatoes, its a dieter's nightmare. That said it provides lots of calories and comfort against chilly snowy conditions. Presumably this is why it is so popular in its native Savoie region of France where skiers guzzle it up by the bowlfull. Luckily for us its main ingredients are the highly seasonal potatoes and onion and so there really are no valid reasons not to invite over some friends for a cosy night in to share some tartiflette! (This is another recipe out the "epicurean experimenters notebook", I can't really remember where it comes from but it might be the

excellent Tamasin Day Lewis)

Tartiflette

Ingredients:
700g of potatoes (peeled, boiled until "al dente")
150g of pancetta lardons
1 onion (sliced in thin strips)
60g butter
150 ml dry white wine
350g Reblouchon Cheese (this is a strong creamy cheese from Savoie, you can replace it with Port Salut or, at a push, Camembert but it wont be quite as tasty)

• Preheat the oven to 200°C and grease a casserole dish with a little butter
• Boil the potatoes, drain but keep the liquid.
• Blanch the lardons for 1 minute in the boiling liquid
• Cut the potatoes into thin strips (you'll have to wait for them to cool unless you have asbestos hands!)
  
• Melt about 1/2 of the butter in a large frying pan and cook the lardons and onions for about 10 minutes (or until the onions go soft but not mushy).
• Add the potatoes and wine and cook for a further 5 minutes (until the alcohol burns off)
• Place 1/3 of the mixture in the casserole dish, add some salt and pepper and then 1/3 of the cheese (cut into strips, it is impossible to grate). Repeat 3 times ending with a layer of cheese.
• Cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

Best enjoyed with a super crusty loaf, a towering mound of green beans (ideally fairtrade and cooked from frozen; sometimes its hard to be seasonal) surrounded by friends and a ready supply of good wine.