Racotin

Racotin (Fondue Savoyarde-style melted cheese with potatoes)

Racotin is a rustic Alpine-style cheese dish from the Savoie region of France, where local cheeses are melted with white wine and served over boiled potatoes. Think of it as a countryside cousin of fondue — less polished, deeply savory, and traditionally eaten with boiled new potatoes and charcuterie.

Prep

15 min

Cook

25 min

Total

40 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •400 g (14 oz) Raclette-style Alpine cheese, Racotin itself is rarely exported; use a Savoie or Haute-Savoie tomme such as Beaufort, Reblochon, or Tomme de Savoie, or a Swiss raclette as a substitute. Rind trimmed.
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) dry white wine, Traditionally a Savoie white such as Apremont or Roussette; an unoaked Chardonnay works at home.
• •1 small piece garlic, about 2 g; halved
• •1 tsp cornstarch (maïzena), optional, for a slightly thicker texture; omit for the classic loose pour
• •800 g (1¾ lb) waxy potatoes, such as Charlotte or Roseval; left unpeeled if skins are thin
• •1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg, optional
• •1 pinch black pepper, to taste
• •1 to taste (to taste) fine sea salt, for the potato water
• •200 g (7 oz) charcuterie, optional, traditional accompaniment: cured ham, saucisson sec, or dried beef (viande des Grisons)

Steps

1. 1 Scrub the potatoes, place them in a saucepan, cover with cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 18–22 minutes, until a knife slides in with no resistance. Drain and keep warm. If large, halve or quarter; leave skins on.
2. 2 While the potatoes cook, rub the inside of a heavy saucepan or ceramic caquelon with the cut garlic clove, then discard the garlic.
3. 3 Pour the wine into the pan and warm over medium heat until it just begins to simmer (do not boil hard — you do not want to cook off all the alcohol and acidity).
4. 4 Coarsely grate or dice the cheese. Add it to the wine a handful at a time, stirring gently in a figure-eight with a wooden spoon. Wait until each addition is mostly melted before adding the next.
5. 5 If using cornstarch for a slightly thicker melt, stir it into 1 tbsp cold water and add it once half the cheese has melted. Stir until smooth and creamy.
6. 6 Season with a pinch of nutmeg and black pepper. Do not add salt until you have tasted the cheese — Alpine cheeses are already salty.
7. 7 Keep the cheese over the lowest possible heat; if it seizes, splash in a little more warm white wine and stir to bring it back together. The finished texture should be glossy and just pourable, not stringy or stiff.
8. 8 Arrange the warm potatoes on a platter or in individual bowls, spoon the melted Racotin generously over them, and serve immediately with charcuterie and cornichons on the side.