We had a lot of yummy, fresh, organic, farm fresh potatoes from our last fruit and veggie delivery. The high quality potatoes reminded me of the delicious ones I had in Chamonix in the Tartiflette. The potatoes in that dish were small, thin skinned potatoes that had a really clean, almost sweet flavor. I knew what we were going to have for dinner.

Tartiflette is a dish from the Savoie region of France. It is traditionally made with potatoes, Reblochon cheese, cream and bacon. I made a slightly modified version of the dish because the bf is currently a vegetarian. Here is my recipe:

Tartiflette:

1 white onion, sliced thin

1.5 lbs thin skinned potatoes

2 tbsp butter

1 box Morning Star Farms Bacon strips or 1/2 pound bacon

1 8oz package Creme Fresh

1 pound of Reblochon cheese or other Savoie cheese

1/2 cup dry Savoie white wine

Clean and boil the potatoes until tender, let cool and cut into large slices, about a half inch thick.

Sautee the onion in a little olive oil on medium heat until they start to sweat a little. Add the bacon and allow that to cook in the pan too.

Grease a large casserole dish with the butter.

Place half of the onions in the casserole dish and cover with half of the onion mixture.

Place the other half of the potatoes and cover with the remainder of the onion mixture.

Spread the Creme Fresh over the whole casserole.

Split the wheel of cheese in half lengthwise so you have two half discs and place on top of the casserole.

Sprinkle the white wine, if you want, over the whole dish.

Bake at 450F for about 20 minutes or until the cheese turns brown and bubbly.

The main modification I made was the bacon. I wanted to add the smoky flavor without using meat so the bf could eat the dish but I wasn't sure how to do it. I also thought of using smoked mozzarella but decided in the end to use the faken bacon. I bought the ingredients for this dish at Trader Joe's and they did not carry the type of cheese I wanted but I did see a cheese that was from the Savoie region so I figured it couldn't be terrible and went with it. I think the cheese I used is a bit stronger than the Reblochon but the dish was perfect just the way it came out.

I drank a glass of the wine I used in the dish out of a glass I bought in Switzerland. It is a cool glass that shows the topography of the Alps around it.

We ate and ate all night Thursday and still had lots leftover for the weekend which was also cold and rainy so it was great.

Coming home was nice because I missed the bf and the dog very much. The day I got home, some friends came over and we had a movie night. Even though I could not stay awake past midnight. It is good to be home all the same.

But I miss vacation....already. The weather here is sucky; Cold, rainy, dark. Not the weather you expect to have in June. My arthritis is acting up, I am tired and I have to drive all the way to work everyday just like always. So I have decided to try to do little things every day to make myself FEEL like I am still on vacation. Something to feel special or to look forward to at the end of the day.

A nice, chilled bottle of Champagne to welcome you home from work.

June 1st is a Wednesday. I decided to treat myself to a nice bottle of Sparkling Wine. In the morning I put a bottle of Roederer Brut in the fridge. All day, while I was at work, I knew that little bottle was waiting for me at home. I know what you are thinking....I MAKE sparkling wine for a living...how could it be special if I get it for free every day?

Well, it is. I have not had a nice bottle of Champagne in a while. I love the wine we make but because this is a bottle of someone else's wine, wine I had to BUY, it becomes special.

Dr. Katz is one of the funniest shows I know of

I got home, put on some Dr. Katz, one of my favorite shows ever, and popped the bottle. I got out the nice champagne flutes to make it a little more special. We cooked up some chile rellenos which is one of my favorite dishes. I skipped the breading and the frying to try to keep it a little light. It was a great evening....specially for a Wednesday.

Tomorrow: Something else. Not sure what but it will likely involve food. I hope this doesn't make me fat!