By Charline Pelloux-Gervais
Raclette is a swiss cheese dish that is eaten in many European countries, especially France. The word “raclette” itself is derived from the French word “racler” which means “scrape.” This refers to the motion of scraping the cheese off of the hot plate and onto your potatoes. The dish itself is a potato base, topped with your raclette cheese, and with various charcuterie toppings and often topped with cornichons (French pickles). You can also use the top of your grill to cook an arrangement of vegetables. This dish is mainly eaten as a winter dish, given that it warms people up. It is largely eaten as a family using a big grill plate. The cheese is placed in small pans called coupelles, and placed under the grill. Once it is melted it is scraped onto the potatoes and then you add your toppings and enjoy! Here is the recipe to enjoy this dish yourself this holiday season!
- You can start by boiling your potatoes to desired temperature and texture.
- While your potatoes are boiling, prepare your charcuterie and various toppings.
- Turn on your electric grill (or any other device you are using).
- Put your raclette under the heat, and cook your vegetables on the top of the grill.
- Once your cheese is melted, spread it over your cut potatoes and add your toppings.
- Enjoy!
Raclette is easy to make and enjoy, unless you make it from scratch, that’s a whole other story! However, some ingredients may be hard to find. Recently, there has been a shortage of the cheese in certain stores, and only a select few actually sell the cheese. From experience, the best place to purchase raclette is Lunardi’s. Fair warning: although the dish is delicious, the price has quickly risen due to quality and quantity. Some ingredients are rare, so when you do find them, the price may be quite startling, but I promise you it is worth it!