Truffade: potatoes under a blanket of cheese
The potatoes must be cooked first. Only then do you add the fresh tome: gentle heat and careful folding turn separate slices into a panful of soft, stretchy cheese.
Editorial team Euro Magazine ·
Truffade belongs to the cooking of Auvergne. The Sancy tourist office describes a version with potatoes, fresh tome and garlic. We have developed it into a home recipe for four generous portions. Fresh tome for truffade is an unripened cheese; a piece of mature Cantal will not give the same result. Ask a specialist cheesemonger for it.
Times are guidelines; preheat during preparation where possible. Allow extra time to cool food before storing it.
Equipment
A large frying pan or casserole, about 30 cm across, with a lid, and a wooden spatula.
Ingredients
- 1 kg floury potatoes, weighed unpeeled
- 400 g fresh tome for truffade, made with pasteurised milk
- 30 g duck fat
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 g salt
- 0.5 g black pepper
Method
- Peel the potatoes and cut into slices about 3 mm thick. Pat dry. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Cut the cheese into thin strips.
- Heat the duck fat over a medium heat. Fry the potatoes for about 10 minutes, turning regularly so different slices touch the bottom. Add the salt and pepper.
- Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook for another 20 to 25 minutes, turning occasionally. Check a thicker slice: you should be able to press it apart without finding a hard centre. Do not continue until the potatoes are cooked.
- Stir in the garlic. Spread the fresh tome over the potatoes and cover. Leave to melt over a very low heat for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and gently fold from the bottom upwards with the wooden spatula until the cheese binds with the potatoes. Serve immediately from the pan. Do not fry the melted cheese over a high heat.
Storage
Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate them, covered, at 4 °C within 2 hours. Eat within 2 days. Reheat a hot meal only once, until it is steaming hot throughout. The cheese texture changes when reheated.
Allergens
Contains milk. The duck fat means this recipe is not vegetarian. Follow the storage instructions on the cheese packaging.
Our own editorial adaptation for home cooking; not kitchen-tested. Quantities and timings are guides; also check the signs of doneness described.