Raclette recipe

 

Ingredients:

 

- 200 g. (7 ounces) of cheese per person

- 4 medium potatoes per person

- sliced meat or sausage

- pickles
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Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes
 

 

Recipe:

  • Wash (but do not peel) the potatoes

  • Boil the potatoes in their skins until cooked (20 to 30 minutes)

  • While the potatoes are cooking:

    • Cut the cheese into cubes, put into a serving bowl on the table

    • Put the onions and / or pickles into a serving bowl on the table

    • Place sliced meats or sausage onto a serving plate, on the tab

    • Place the raclette machine on the table and turn it on (so it has time to warm up before serving the meal.

  • When the potatoes are cooked, drain the water and then place the pot with the potatoes onto the table (you may need to use a hot plate to prevent the hot pot from damaging the table. Leave the lid on the pot so that the potatoes stay warm.

  • The meal can now start (see notes below).

 

 

Notes:

 

The potatoes are not peeled prior to boiling as they taste better if cooked in their skins. They are pealed at the table, each guest peeling his/her own potatoes.

 

There is no need to peel the potatoes for your guests prior to serving. A raclette meal is intended to be eaten slowly and at leisure, and the time for peeling potatoes (while the cheese melts) is part of this and very traditional.

 

You may wish to place a small dish between the guests in which they can place the potato peels. This way they can eat off of an uncluttered plate.

 

If you have a potato fork (a 3-pronged fork with a wooden or plastic handle, used to hold a hot potato while peeling it) and a sharp knife for each guest, this is a bonus (but not required).

 

History:

 

Raclette is a cheese produced in the mountains of Switzerland and eastern France. It is a firm cheese with a pale yellow colour and a mild taste. It can be eaten cold, but is best known for being melted and poured over potatoes.

 

The traditional way of eating Raclette is to melt it in front of an open file (first removing part of the rind or cutting it in half/quarters to allow it to melt easier). When the fire has melted the outer layer, the melted cheese is scraped off and placed on potatoes (which are then eaten). As the heat of the fire then softens or melts the outer part of the remaining cheese, this is again scrapped off and served on potatoes. This continues until everyone has eaten their fill.

 

The name of the cheese "Raclette" comes from the French word "Racler", which means "to scrape off". In other words, the cheese gets its name from the repeated scrapping off of the outer melted layer described above.

 

The name Raclette refers not only to the name of the cheese, but also to the meal on which it is based, consisting of potatoes with melted cheese, served with sliced meats and pickles (see above recipe).

 

In modern times, a machine is used to melt the cheese. This is also referred to as a Raclette. The simplest version consists of a cheese holder (in which a piece of raclette cheese is placed) and a grill to melt the cheese. More sophisticated versions (which are now the most popular) have a grill under which several small dishes can be placed. Each guest will have a small dish which they can fill with cheese and place under the grill to melt. Many machines also have a stone or hot plate above the grill. The pot of potatoes can be place on this to keep them warm. Alternatively, the stone or hot plate can be used to grill meat; while this is not traditionally done as part of a raclette meal, it means that the same machine can either be used for a racletter or a grill (in other words, it can be used for two different types of meals).

 
     

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