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Raclette potatoes: in their skins or peeled?
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What is raclette?
The name comes from racler, to scrape. Traditionally, half a wheel of cheese was held to the fire and the melted surface scraped onto a plate of potatoes, as it still is in Alpine restaurants, with a special heater. At home, French families use an electric raclette grill: each guest melts a slice in a small pan, a coupelle, and tips it over their potatoes.
The cheese has a protected name on both sides of the border: Raclette de Savoie in France and Raclette du Valais in Switzerland.
How much cheese per person?
About 200 g (7 oz) for an adult, a little less for children, and a few small potatoes each, boiled in their skins. You can add a smoked raclette or one with pepper for variety, but plain raclette should be most of the board. It is sold sliced in the US at good cheese counters; ask for raclette cut for the grill.
What do you serve with raclette?
Potatoes, kept warm in a covered dish. Charcuterie: jambon cru, cooked ham, saucisson or rosette, coppa. Cornichons and small pickled onions, for the acidity. A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette. Nothing else: it is a lot.
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Start the adventureCan you do raclette without a machine?
Yes. Lay slices of raclette on an ovenproof plate and put them under a hot broiler for two or three minutes, until bubbling, then pour the cheese over the potatoes. Or melt it in a nonstick pan with a lid. You lose the ritual, not the dinner.
What do you drink with raclette?
A dry white from the mountains: a Savoie white such as Apremont, or a Fendant, the Chasselas of the Valais. A light red is good with the charcuterie, and in November a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau is the obvious one. In the Alps, a pot of hot tea is traditional too.
Why raclette is a holiday dinner
It is the least work a host can do for the most people. Nothing to cook but potatoes, and everyone at the table busy with their little pan. That is why it fills French tables through the winter holidays, and why French supermarkets stack raclette cheese by the door from November.
| Raclette | Fondue savoyarde | Tartiflette | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The cheese | Raclette | Comté, Beaufort and Emmental, melted with white wine | Reblochon |
| How it is eaten | Melted slice by slice at the table, over potatoes | Bread dipped into a shared pot | Baked with potatoes, bacon and onions |
| From | Savoie and the Valais | Savoie | Savoie |
Questions, answered
What is raclette?
A cow’s milk cheese from Savoie and the Swiss Valais, and the meal made with it: the cheese melted at the table and scraped over boiled potatoes, with charcuterie and pickles.
How much raclette cheese per person?
About 200 g (7 oz) per adult, with a few small potatoes each.
What do you eat with raclette?
Boiled potatoes in their skins, charcuterie such as jambon cru and saucisson, cornichons, small pickled onions and a green salad.
Can you make raclette without a raclette machine?
Yes. Melt slices of raclette on an ovenproof plate under a hot broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, then pour the cheese over the potatoes.
What wine goes with raclette?
A dry white from Savoie, such as Apremont, or a Fendant from the Valais. A light red such as Beaujolais also works.
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