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Raclette

By · Published · Mains

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A raclette grill on a table with slices of raclette cheese, cured ham, mushrooms, boiled potatoes and peas.

Slices of raclette cheese melted in small pans at the table and scraped over hot potatoes, with cured ham and pickles. The Alpine winter dinner, made with raclette from a cheese shop, the pre-sliced packs in Canadian deli cases, or Oka.

Raclette is less a recipe than a winter evening: a grill in the middle of the table, a pot of hot potatoes, and everyone melting their own cheese and scraping it over them. The name comes from racler, to scrape. In France, it's what goes on the table when it's cold out and there are friends to feed.

I bought my raclette grill on Amazon here, and that turned out to be the easy part. The cheese is where I'd spend the effort, and a French or European cheese shop is the place to start. Ask for raclette from Savoie or the Valais and have it sliced 5 mm thick at the counter.

Which cheese should you buy for raclette here?

The cheese is the only shopping problem. Raclette is a semi-soft cow's-milk cheese that melts into a smooth, bubbling layer without turning greasy.

What doesn't work: cheddar splits into a puddle of oil under the grill, and mozzarella turns rubbery and tastes of nothing. If your deli counter has no raclette, ask for a semi-soft, washed-rind cow's-milk cheese that melts smoothly, and have it sliced 5 mm thick.

How much to buy

Count 200 g of cheese per person, plus about 300 g of potatoes and 100 g of charcuterie. It sounds like a lot; it disappears.

Grill or broiler?

A raclette grill has a small pan for each person under a heating element, with a plate on top to keep potatoes warm. Amazon.ca is the easiest place to find one: Swissmar, an Ontario company, makes the 8-person grill listed there and at Walmart.ca, which seats six to eight, and stock is best before the holidays. For two to four people, a baking dish under the oven broiler does the job.

Making it in Canada

The 3 French ingredients, and what to buy for them in Canada.

  • Fromage à raclette (de Savoie ou du Valais)→Raclette from a cheese shop, pre-sliced raclette from the deli case, or Oka

    A cheese shop can slice real raclette to order, and it melts the way it does in France. Pre-sliced packs go straight into the little pans and taste a little milder. Oka, a semi-soft washed-rind cheese from Quebec, melts just as smoothly but smells and tastes stronger, so keep it for when there's nothing else.

    First choice: a French or European cheese shop, sliced 5 mm thick. In the deli case: Monsieur Gustav Trio Raclette (300 g, sliced, lactose-free) is listed at Walmart and Metro, and Costco lists a 400 g Swiss raclette. In Quebec, Metro's deli also sells OKA Raclette and Raclette des Appalaches from Fromagerie Rang 9. Oka Original comes in 190 g wedges at Walmart and Sobeys. Raclette is stocked from about October to February.

    French Cheese in Canada: What to Buy for Each Recipe »

  • Jambon de Bayonne, jambon de Savoie→Prosciutto, sliced thin at the deli counter

    French air-dried hams are rare here; prosciutto has the same salty, silky texture. Viande des Grisons, the Swiss air-dried beef, has no everyday match: leave it out and add a dry salami instead.

    French Ham in Canada: Jambon Blanc, Cru and Fumé »

  • Pommes de terre à chair ferme→Small yellow or red potatoes (grelots in Quebec)

    Waxy potatoes hold their shape when you split them under the cheese. Russets are floury and fall apart.

Good to know: Ask the counter to cut the slices about 5 mm thick and small enough to lie flat in a raclette pan, roughly 6 × 8 cm.

Ready to cook?
A raclette grill on a table with slices of raclette cheese, cured ham, mushrooms, boiled potatoes and peas.

Raclette

Slices of raclette cheese melted in small pans at the table and scraped over hot potatoes, with cured ham and pickles. The Alpine winter dinner, made with raclette from a cheese shop, the pre-sliced packs in Canadian deli cases, or Oka.

Prep time
20 min
Cook time
30 min
Total time
50 min
Servings
6

Ingredients

Original recipe: 6 servings.

Instructions

  1. Boil the potatoes. Put the potatoes in cold salted water, bring to a boil and simmer 15–20 minutes, until a knife slides in. Drain, return to the pot and cover with a tea towel and the lid to keep them hot.
  2. Set the table. Lay out the cheese, charcuterie, pickles and salad on platters around the raclette grill. Turn the grill on 10 minutes before eating.
  3. Melt the cheese. Each person lays a slice of cheese in their pan and slides it under the grill for 2–4 minutes, until bubbling and spotted brown at the edges.
  4. Scrape and eat. Scrape the melted cheese over a split potato with the wooden spatula. Add pepper or paprika, and eat with charcuterie and pickles. Repeat all evening.

Equipment

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Notes

  • No raclette grill? Lay the hot potatoes in a baking dish, cover with cheese slices and grill under the broiler for 3–4 minutes, until bubbling.
  • Set out the platters a few hours ahead, covered, in the fridge, and take the cheese out 30 minutes before eating so it melts evenly. Boil the potatoes last.
  • Leftover potatoes and cheese make a quick gratin the next day.
  • To drink, a dry white or herbal tea. A dry Riesling works well: Cave Spring Riesling Dry is listed at the SAQ, and Joseph Cattin's Alsace Riesling at the LCBO.

Course: Mains · Cuisine: French · Adapted for Canadian kitchens

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Canadian guides

French ingredients and what to buy in Canada »

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