Potato gratin Vosges style (with Münster cheese)

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg potatoes
• 300 g cheese (Munster)
• 200 ml liquid crème fraîche (liquid, alternatively long-life whipping cream)
• 100 ml white wine, dry
• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 1 medium-sized garlic clove(s)
• 1 tsp spice mix (coriander, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper), ground
• 150 g bacon (not smoked), finely diced
• 50 g butter
• e.g. salt and pepper
• Olive oil or sunflower oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Vosges gratin in Munster

Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly. Peel the onions and slice them into thin rings. Finely dice the bacon. Briefly and vigorously brown everything with the spices in a large pan in olive or sunflower oil. Then place 2/3 of the mixture into a buttered casserole dish (preferably an enameled cast iron dish). Cut the Munster cheese into 1 cm thick strips and arrange them over the layer. Spread the remaining potato mixture (a thin layer) over the top. Mix the liquid crème fraîche (*see also note) or cream and white wine, along with salt and pepper to taste, and pour over the cheese. It must be well coated, otherwise it will be too dry. Sprinkle the remaining butter in flakes over the top. Bake in a preheated oven at 220°C – 230°C for approx. 50 minutes. The gratin should be cooked through and nicely au gratin. Serve with a green salad. You can also vary the recipe by spreading the Munster cheese over the potatoes at the end. The flavor will be more intense. This dish was the highlight of a long hike in the Vosges Mountains! *Note: You can also thin regular crème fraîche with a little milk.