Truffade – potatoes with fresh tomme

Pat the peeled potatoes dry and cut into rounds about 3 mm thick. Finely chop the garlic and cut the fresh tomme into thin slices or small pieces. Have ready a deep frying pan about 28 cm across with a well-fitting lid.

Heat the duck fat in the pan over medium heat. Add the potatoes and spread them as evenly as possible. Fry for about 10–12 minutes, carefully turning from time to time with a wide spatula, until some rounds begin to turn golden. They do not need to be tender in the middle yet.

Add the salt and pepper, lower the heat and cover the pan. Cook under the lid for about 20–25 minutes, stirring gently a few times so the potatoes do not stick and heat evenly. They should be completely tender and yield easily to a fork. If still firm, cook longer over low heat. Do not add the cheese if the potatoes are not yet soft.

Over very low heat, gently stir the garlic into the potatoes. Lay the fresh tomme slices on top, cover and heat for about 5 minutes, until the cheese softens and begins to melt. Keep the heat gentle, without frying hard or letting the cheese bubble.

Remove the lid. Gently combine the melted cheese and potatoes with a wooden spoon or wide spatula, lifting the mixture and folding it back over itself. About 1–2 minutes over the lowest heat or with the heat already off is enough, until the cheese forms elastic strands and coats the rounds. Some potatoes may break up, but do not mash the whole dish into a purée.

Immediately divide the hot truffade between four plates, scraping out the entire contents of the pan. Serve while the cheese is still soft and stretchy. Do not keep the dish on the heat once it reaches this texture.