Truffade

Ingredients

1.2 kg potatoes, peeled, in even3 mm slices
600 g fresh Cantal or Salers tomme, thinly sliced
40 g lard, in two20 g additions
Alternative
20 g butter plus 2 tablespoons olive oil for the original batch: butter and 1 tablespoon oil first, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil later.
3 garlic cloves, peeled, centre shoots removed and pressed
1 pinch salt, plus more if needed
1 pinch black pepper
1 tsp (5 ml) parsley, to finish

To serve

16 thin slices of Auvergne cured ham

Method

Peel, wash and slice the potatoes into even 3 mm rounds. Cut the fresh tomme into thin slices.
Heat 20 g lard in a cast-iron casserole. Add the potatoes and brown over high heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly so they do not stick.
Add the remaining 20 g lard, lower the heat, cover and cook 15 minutes. Add the peeled, de-germed and pressed garlic, salt and continue cooking 5 minutes.
Add the tomme and stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes until melted and stretchy. Taste and add more salt if needed; season with the source pinch of pepper. Finish with a little parsley.
Serve with the cured ham, allowing two thin slices per person.

Equipment

Cast-iron casserole with lid; Mandoline or sharp knife

Notes

Slicing: cut the potatoes evenly, about 3 mm thick, so they cook together. Slice the fresh tome thinly so it melts promptly.
Fat alternative: the original batch uses 40 g lard in two additions. Instead, start with 20 g butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil, then add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil at the second stage.
Cheese: use fresh Cantal or Salers tome, rather than Cantal entre-deux. Stir over medium heat until melted and stretchy, then taste before adding more salt.
Garlic: the original eight-person batch uses three cloves because Anne likes its flavour. Adjust to taste.
Serving: allow two thin slices of Auvergne cured ham per person and finish with parsley. Another cured ham is fine if Auvergne ham is unavailable, while fresh tome remains essential.
Making ahead: plan to serve the truffade freshly made. Anne discourages a long warm hold and finds it does not reheat particularly well.

Photos

12 photos

IngredientsPotatoes for the truffade

IngredientsFresh Cantal tomme

Step 1Evenly sliced potatoes

Step 1Thinly sliced fresh tomme

Step 2Potatoes in the casserole

Step 3The potatoes after covered cooking

Step 3Tender potatoes before adding cheese

Step 4Fresh tomme added to the potatoes

Finished dishThe melted cheese stretches

Truffade potatoes and fresh tome served with dry-cured ham.

ServingTruffade with Auvergne ham

ServingPotatoes, tomme and cured ham

ServingTruffade ready to eat

About this dish

Truffade is rooted in Auvergne, particularly the Monts du Cantal. Its name recalls the local word for potato, rather than an ingredient of truffles. Regional versions bring together pan-cooked potatoes and fresh tome, often with local charcuterie alongside. The cheese links the dish to Cantal’s cheesemaking: tome fraîche is taken from an early stage of production, before salting and ageing.

That fresh cheese is the point of this version. Its mild, milky flavour and melting texture wrap around the potatoes in long strands. Anne Lataillade is firm about using fresh Cantal or Salers tome, even when readers suggest mature Cantal instead. She is more relaxed about the ham: she prefers one from the same region, but jokes that there is no ham police.

Her potatoes brown first, then soften under a lid before the cheese goes in. Garlic adds the flavour she particularly enjoys, and parsley supplies a little freshness, or, as she jokes, an alibi for such a rich plate.

Recipe and cooking notes adapted from Papilles et Pupilles.