Easy French Comfort Food: Creamy Potatoes & Pancetta (Tartiflette)

Easy French Comfort Food: Creamy Potatoes & Pancetta (Tartiflette)

Easy French Comfort Food: Creamy Potatoes & Pancetta (Tartiflette) is an Americanized version of a hearty French meal bursting with the comforting flavors of sliced potatoes and crisp pancetta smothered in a cream, Gruyere, and white wine sauce.   It could not be simpler or more delicious!

Why You Should Give This Recipe a Try

Easy French Comfort Food: Creamy Potatoes & Pancetta (Tartiflette) has all the deliciousness of the original French version, modified for American ingredients. That means no trips to multiple grocery stores looking for hard to find items. This meal also looks and takes complicated but it comes together very quickly!

I have learned a lot about French cooking from my mother-in-law and let me tell you, the fact that this takes only about 30 minutes is a miracle in and of itself. The woman has a two-day recipe for beef bourguignon!  There are also no complicated cooking techniques, so this dish is easy enough for a novice in the kitchen and quick enough to become a favorite weeknight meal. 

Finally, I can’t say enough good things about this dish: sliced Yukon gold potatoes, fried Pancetta, caramelized onions, and shredded Gruyere covered in a warm, rich, flavorful sauce of white wine and heavy cream. This is truly the perfect comfort food! Make it for your family, serve it to guests, but most of all, make it for yourself! We’re eating it about once a week in our house.

Recipe Ingredients

2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion

4 oz uncured pancetta

¾ cup white cooking wine

¾ heavy cream

8 oz. Gruyere cheese

Gruyere slices (optional)

Butter

Sea salt/kosher salt

Ingredient Notes

I have used both the large Yukon gold and mini potatoes in this recipe. If you choose the minis, simply chop the potatoes into cubes after they are parboiled.

The French love something called “lardons” which is a form of thick cut bacon. I modified my recipe to include pancetta which is more or less the same thing. My local supermarket carries sliced pancetta which I then cut into small squares. You may be able to find diced pancetta which would work just as well and be even more satisfying. Chunks of pancetta? Who could say no to that?

Creamy Potatoes & Pancetta (Tartiflette) is a great way to use up leftover wine. A dry white wine like Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc are your best choices, although I generally just white cooking wine from the supermarket.

Genuine French Tartiflette is topped with thick slices of reblochon cheese, a raw cow’s cheese from the Haute-Savoie region of France. Unfortunately, it is not for sale in the US but you can absolutely use a substitute. In this recipe, I used grated Gruyere in place of the reblochon. They are not at all alike, but I enjoyed the combination of Gruyere, pancetta, and wine. If you would like something closer to the original, you could use Camembert or Brie.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Grate 1 ½ cups of cheese from the 8 oz block. Slice the remaining cheese into small squares. Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

3. Add a generous amount of salt (I used coarse sea salt) to a large pot of water and bring to a boil.

4. While the water heats, wash the potatoes and cut them into large cubes/quarters. You do not have to peel the potatoes, in fact, the skin helps hold them together in the final dish.

5. Gently lower the prepared potatoes into the boiling water.

6. Parboil the potatoes, cooking them until they are tender but slightly firm, about 15 minutes. They will finish cooking in the oven.

7. While you wait for the potatoes, cut a medium yellow onion in half and then slice each half. Set aside.

8. Stack a few of the pancetta slices and cut them into strips. Cut the strips to form squares. Set aside.

9. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.

10. Add the onion to the skillet. Lightly salt the onion and cook until it is soft and translucent, about 7 minutes. Be sure to stir the onion occasionally during the process.

11. Add the pancetta to the onions and cook until brown, about 4 minutes.

12. Add the white wine to the skillet with the onions and the pancetta. Lower the heat to medium and allow the wine to simmer and cook down by at least half, about 3 minutes. 

13. Lower the heat and keep just warm until the potatoes are ready.

14. Drain the potatoes and place them in a colander. 

15. Run cold water over the potatoes until they are cool enough to handle.

16. Thickly slice the potatoes.

17. Generously grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch baking pan or casserole dish with butter.

18. Add the sliced potatoes to the prepared pan.

19. Add the onion, pancetta, and wine to the potatoes and toss to combine.

20. Add 1 cup of grated cheese and toss to combine.

21. Pour the heavy cream evenly over the surface of the potato/pancetta mix.

22. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the surface.

23. If using, add the cheese slices.

24. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and golden brown and the sauce is bubbly, about 15 minutes.

25. Season with salt to taste.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. 

Tips & Tricks

If you’re looking for an even quicker weeknight meal, prepare the potatoes in advance. Make sure they are parboiled – not fully cooked – and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge. When you’re ready, slice the potatoes before beginning the other steps. It is actually easier to slice the potatoes when they are cold, too!

Can’t find pancetta? Use some thick cut bacon instead.

Speaking of pancetta, my taste tester (aka, my husband) says that this could use even more. Feel free to increase the amount.

Purchasing grated cheese is always a time saver, so keep an eye out for grated Gruyere. In the photos I posted here I used a combo of grated and slice Gruyere. I really liked the gooey melted cheese all over the top of the potato, pancetta, and onion mixture.

Remember that when you are “salting to taste” you should start out with a little salt. You can always add more, but you can never remove too much.

FAQs

How can I make this without the wine?

You can replace the wine with vegetable or chicken broth. Reduce the amount to ⅓ cup since it will not reduce the way wine does.

What herbs could I include here?

You can add either  ½ teaspoon of herbes de Provence of ½ teaspoon of dried thyme.

How do I add the Camembert or brie if I am using those?

Slice the cheese horizontally into several rounds and lay them directly on the potato/pancetta mixture. The dish is ready when the cheese is gooey and the sauce is bubbling.

Looking to try a little lighter French meal, check out this Salade Nicoise with Tuna.