Impulse bought a pack of Trader Joe's sliced raclette cheese, did ya? I do the same every year, and always do the same thing with it. I melt it over potatoes in the classic raclette tradition. Except at my house, I do it without the hassle of a special raclette pan or raclette oven. It is truly special to enjoy raclette scraped off of a sizzling pan, but my kitchen is only so big. I can't hold on to appliances just for a dish I make a few times a year. If you want to make raclette cheese without a pan, you're in the right place.
What is raclette cheese?
Raclette is a cheese from Switzlerand that is easy to melt. It is sold in rounds and in restaurants that sell a lot of raclette, they often have raclette pans (known as coupelles) to heat and scrape it onto dishes. I've seen it in person once and it was quite the production. Raclette is also a pretty pungent cheese, so I smelled it from the parking lot before going in! It's not an overwhelming scent when you're preparing small amounts at home though.
You can also get raclette grills for home use to have raclette parties. But if like me, you aren't that committed to the raclette lifestyle, get pre-sliced raclette from Trader Joe's in the winter season.
Restaurant style raclette inspiration
I was inspired 100% by a meal I ate recently in Asheville. It was exactly like this, except they DID use the special raclette pan. The difference here is going to be how the cheese is treated in the end. We aren't going to need any special equipment to get our raclette fix.
How is raclette traditionally eaten?
Raclette actually means "to scrape", which refers to the scraping of the cheese onto the food it will drape itself lovingly atop. Silky smooth, meltable, and with a pungent flavor, it's traditionally paired with baby potatoes and cornichons in the Alpine communities of Switzerland and France. Cheese and potatoes go together in an obvious way, and the sweetly sour cornichons complement and contrast against the richness of the cheese.
The tomatoes are an addition I got from the raclette dish I ate in Asheville, and a welcome one at that. Roasted tomatoes are one of my favorites. It adds an additional acidic flavor to this dish that it needs to cut through the richness of the cheese and the potatoes.
Raclette with Potatoes
Equipment
- Baking pan
Ingredients
- ½ package Trader Joe's raclette sliced cheese
- 1 pound teeny tiny potatoes (baby fingerling potatoes elsewhere)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- avocado oil spray (or other neutral oil cooking spray)
- 5-10 cornichons
Instructions
- Wash and dry the potatoes. Place them in a large pot and cover with water.
- Let the potatoes come to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer. Cook for 6-7 more minutes or until an inserted fork can easily pierce it, but the potato doesn't fall apart. Remove from heat and drain the water. Set potatoes aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Spray the potatoes with avocado oil (or toss in olive oil), salt, and pepper.
- Put the potatoes in an oven safe baking dish, and then toss the tomatoes in the remaining oil. Add them to the potatoes in the baking dish.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork.
- Remove the baking dish, and place half the package (4-5 slices) of cheese atop the potatoes and tomatoes.
- Put back in the oven for 5 more minutes.
- To serve, scoop potatoes and tomatoes with melted raclette on a plate. Add cornichons to the side, and eat once the food has cooled enough to be edible.
Where can you buy raclette cheese?
Trader Joe's of course, but many people don't live near one. Upscale grocery stores with good cheese selections, such as Lowe's Foods, Publix, and Whole Foods should have raclette available in the cooler months, as it is traditionally eaten as a warming up food on a cold night. You can also of course buy anything online, including raclette cheese.
Want more cheesy recipes?
