Thin slices of potato slowly turn golden and tender in the pan, then melting cheese pulls through them in savoury strands. Serve this hearty Auvergne classic straight from the pan with a fresh green salad.
Truffade is a hearty potato dish from Auvergne, a region in central France. Potatoes and cheese are the essentials: thin slices are cooked until tender and golden in a pan, then tomme fraîche is melted through them. The cheese should form stretchy strands, rather than coating the potatoes like a smooth sauce. In Auvergne, the dish is often served with a green salad; its fresh, slightly tangy contrast makes the rich panful more enjoyable to eat.
Tomme fraîche is young, unripened cheese. It can be hard to find outside the region; young Cantal is a good substitute if you can get it. Another young cheese that melts well, such as young Gouda, also works, but gives a slightly different flavour and is very much a practical adaptation. Avoid old, dry cheese: it melts less smoothly and can turn grainy. Slice the cheese thinly or cut it into small pieces so it melts quickly and evenly.
The potato slices need to be tender before you add the cheese. So cook them over moderate heat and give them time. A wide frying pan helps: the slices are less crowded and cook more evenly. A lid traps steam at first, helping the potatoes soften inside; take it off later to let the moisture evaporate and the edges brown. Turn them gently. Stirring too often breaks up the slices, while not moving them enough can make them stick or burn. Add the garlic towards the end so it becomes fragrant without browning.
In this recipe, duck fat adds a savoury, traditional touch; neutral oil is a practical substitute. Use enough fat to lightly coat the bottom of the pan, but don’t let the potatoes deep-fry. Salt the potatoes sparingly before adding the cheese, as the cheese is already salty. Add the cheese off the heat or over very low heat, and gently mix until stretchy strands form. Then take the pan straight to the table: as it cools, the cheese firms up and becomes less stretchy.
A simple green salad with mustard dressing goes well with the truffade. Use, for example, butter lettuce or lamb’s lettuce, and keep the dressing fresh with wine vinegar; the salad needn’t be complicated. You can serve cornichons alongside if you like, but they are not part of this recipe. Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to two days. Reheat them gently in a frying pan over low heat; the potatoes will warm through again, but the cheese won’t form the same supple strands as when freshly made.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices about 3 mm thick. Slice the cheese thinly if it hasn’t already been sliced.
Heat the duck fat or oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the potato slices, sprinkle with the salt and toss to coat them with a thin layer of fat.
Reduce the heat to low-medium and cover the pan. Cook the potatoes for 15 minutes, gently turning them every 4 to 5 minutes. Add a small splash of water if they look like they might stick to the bottom.
Remove the lid and cook for another 8–12 minutes. Turn the potatoes occasionally, until tender and golden around the edges in several places. Add the garlic and some black pepper, and cook for 1 minute.
Turn the heat to low. Scatter the cheese over the potatoes and gently toss until the cheese has melted and forms stretchy strands. Taste and add a little more salt if needed.
To make the salad, whisk the red wine vinegar with the Dijon mustard and olive oil in a large bowl. Toss the salad leaves in just before serving.
Serve the truffade straight from the pan, with the green salad alongside.
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