Entree: Switzerland – German Swiss – Raclette (Melted alpine cheese scraped over boiled potatoes and served with pickles and cured meats)

Food safety reminder: Follow safe food-handling practices and use a food thermometer to verify safe internal cooking temperatures.

Serving Size: 4

Approximate Time

Prep 10 min

Cook 20 min

Total 30 min

Ingredients

Raclette cheese, sliced — 700 g (practical catalog estimate: Swiss cheese, used as a labelled alternative for the named cheese)
Small waxy potatoes, raw — 900 g
Mixed cured meats (prosciutto, coppa, and salami) — 225 g (estimated edible portion: 225 g)
Cornichons (pickled gherkins), drained — 225 g
Pickled pearl onions, drained — 170 g
Unsalted butter — 28 g (2 tbsp; estimated mass)
Black peppercorns, coarsely cracked — 5 g
Lemon, cut into wedges — 1 medium lemon (about 58 g edible portion, estimated)
Black pepper, freshly cracked — to taste (quantity unspecified)
Crusty bread or baguette, optional — 8–12 slices (estimated 240 g total; slice size varies)

Instructions

1. Wash the potatoes. Put them in a pot, cover with water, and add 5 g salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15–20 minutes, until just tender. Drain and keep warm.
2. Slice the raclette cheese into portions sized for the raclette trays or small ovenproof dishes.
3. Arrange the cured meats, drained cornichons, and drained pickled pearl onions on serving plates. Set out the butter and cracked black pepper.
4. For a tabletop raclette grill, heat it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Lightly grease the trays with butter, add cheese, and heat until bubbling and beginning to brown.
5. Alternatively, place cheese in small ovenproof dishes on a baking sheet and broil 4–6 inches from the heat until melted and lightly browned, watching closely.
6. Scrape melted cheese over the warm potatoes. Serve immediately with the pickles, cured meats, lemon wedges, and optional bread. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and lemon to taste; melt the cheese in batches at the table.