Melted Raclette with Potatoes
Alpine raclette cheese melted until bubbling and scraped warm over tender boiled potatoes, with cornichons and a board of cured meats. The classic French mountain supper, best shared slowly around the table.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Boil the potatoes
Put the whole, unpeeled potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water, and add the coarse salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently.
- 1 kg potatoes
- 1 tbsp coarse salt
✅ Done when: a knife slides into a potato with no resistance
Drain and keep warm
Drain the potatoes well and let them sit uncovered for a minute so the steam escapes and they don't turn soggy. Keep them warm, loosely covered with a lid or a clean towel, until serving.
✅ Done when: potatoes are tender, dry on the outside, and still hot
Prepare cheese and board
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Warm the machine
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Melt the cheese
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Scrape and serve
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Boil the potatoes
Put the whole, unpeeled potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water, and add the coarse salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently.
- 1 kg potatoes
- 1 tbsp coarse salt
✅ Done when: a knife slides into a potato with no resistance
Drain and keep warm
Drain the potatoes well and let them sit uncovered for a minute so the steam escapes and they don't turn soggy. Keep them warm, loosely covered with a lid or a clean towel, until serving.
✅ Done when: potatoes are tender, dry on the outside, and still hot
Prepare cheese and board
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Warm the machine
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Melt the cheese
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Scrape and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Melting cheese by an open fire and scraping it onto bread or potatoes began with Alpine herders and cheesemakers, who needed a hearty way to use their mountain cheese through long winters. The custom spread through the Alpine regions straddling France and Switzerland, with French Savoie and Haute-Savoie developing their own strong raclette tradition alongside the better-known Swiss one.
The dish took off as a home favourite in France after the electric raclette machine, with its little individual trays, became common in the mid-20th century. It turned raclette into a slow, sociable meal for cold evenings, especially around the Christmas and ski season, when families gather around the table for hours.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It turns a simple cheese, some potatoes, and cured meats into a long, convivial meal where everyone cooks a little at the table, which is exactly why French families reach for it on winter nights and holidays.
💡 Fun Fact
The name comes from the French verb racler, 'to scrape,' describing the motion of pulling the melted cheese off the half-wheel and onto the plate.
French Alps (Savoie and Haute-Savoie)
45.56°N, 5.92°E
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