Tartiflette is a recipe invented in the 80s to promote the French Reblochon cheese. Needless to say, it has a lot of calories in it but after a day of hiking in the mountains, or after skiing, it is the perfect warming dish. This recipe is a vegetarian and Nordic interpretation with fennel and anise seeds. In Sweden, mild or strong flavours of anise and liquorice are used to give flavour to both savoury dishes and sweets.

Serves: 4    Total time: 1h 20 min

INGREDIENTS

1 Reblochon cheese 450 g
250 g firm potatoes
2 fennels
Handful of anise seeds
1 yellow onion
1 garlic clove
200 ml double cream
Large glass of white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Tips:
Save time by using leftover potatoes.
For a "lighter" recipe, buy a half Reblochon Cheese (250g) and slice it down the middle to make two semi-circles before cutting into strips.

METHOD

1)
Cook the potatoes with the skin on in the microwave or on the stove. Refrigerate until cool enough to peel and cut into slices.
Cut the fennel and roast in the oven in olive oil for 30 minutes or until soft.
Peel and dice the onion and the garlic.

2)
In a frying pan, cook the anise seeds in oil for a few minutes.
Add the onion and fry until soft and transparent including the garlic towards the end.
Add the cooked and sliced potatoes and fennel and fry for another few minutes. Season with salt and pepper and pour a glass of white wine over the mix until the alcohol has evaporated and reduced.
Finally, include the cream and leave the mixture to cook for another 5 minutes.

3)
Transfer the mixture to a buttered oven proof dish. Slice the Reblochon cheese into 1-2 cm slices and arrange the cheese on top so that it covers the complete dish.
Cook for 20 minutes in the oven, turning the grill on for the last 5 minutes to make the cheese sizzle and brown.

This is me walking between the Aiguille Rousse and Aiguille Grive in the Savoie near Mont Blanc.