Swiss Raclette
Swiss cheese melted and scraped over hot potatoes, with pickles and cured meats. The cornichon isn't garnish: it cuts the fat. A cozy Alpine ritual.
30 min
Easy
Suiza
4 servings
The story behind
The word comes from the French verb racler, "to scrape," and it names the exact gesture behind this Swiss dish: holding a half-wheel of cheese to the fire and scraping the melted layer over hot potatoes. Raclette was born in the Alpine cantons of the Valais, where mountain herders melted cheese by the hearth through long days of grazing the high pastures. Raclette cheese is semi-firm for a precise reason — it needs to melt evenly and smoothly without the fat splitting; too dry and it won't flow, too fresh and it turns greasy. Today it is above all a social winter meal: the table gathers around an electric grill with little pans, each person melting their own portion to pour over skin-on boiled potatoes, cornichons and pickled onions. Those pickles aren't garnish — their acidity cuts the richness of the molten cheese and resets the palate between bites, which is why they always shadow both raclette and its cousin fondue. Cured meats like serrano ham, salami and air-dried beef add salt and contrast. It's a slow ritual, all lingering conversation and snow outside. Serve it the moment the cheese bubbles, while the potato steam still rises.
Instructions
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1Wash and boil the potatoes in salted water until tender but still firm.
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2Set the table with the cold cuts, pickles, and the warm potatoes in central serving platters.
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3Turn on the raclette grill and let it heat up properly before starting.
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4Place a slice of cheese into each individual raclette tray.
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5Top the cheese with your favorite bits, like a piece of bacon, a cherry tomato, or a sprig of rosemary.
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6Slide the tray into the grill until the cheese is bubbling and slightly golden.
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7Scrape the melted cheese directly over the warm potatoes on your plate and eat immediately.
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