Tartiflette or a gratin or raclette redux

Tartiflette is a french baked cheese and vegetable dish. It is as fat free as the deep fried fondue sticks served to the french version of Elvis, or the deep fried banana and peanut butter gems to the man who owned graceland. It is not as delicious as those, but it does raise a significant bar over a broc and cheese bake.

Ingredients

• One peeled and quatered onion
• 10 decent quality quartered potatoes
• 3-4 medium sliced carrots
• 3 bay leaves
• Milk
• 10 slices of Raclette cheese
• 1 glass white wine [optional]
• 75g unsalted butter
• 75g flour
• Handful of fine grated parmesan/padano

Method

1. place all the vegtables and bay leaf into a stock pot, bring to a boil
2. cook until the potatoes are firm but cooked
3. Drain the vegetables, keep the stock. Add 1 tsp salt
4. Melt the butter and mix in the flour until it is a bubbling roux. No burning.
5. Let the roux rest for 20-30 min
6. Heat oven to 190˚C
7. Heat the roux, stir in 1 cup reserved stock while stirring
8. when smooth, stir in a ½ cup then ½ cup until smooth and thick
9. stir in a ½ cup milk until smooth and thick
10. Stir in stock until relatively thick and smooth: season
11. Add a decent amount of black pepper
12. Put the vegetables in a layer on a baking dish
13. Pour on the sauce until close to the top of the vegetables
14. lay the raclette on the top to make a single layer
15. bake until the top is brown and bubbling
16. Eat
17. Drink the wine

Groovy gorgonzola