Raclette is both a meal and a cheese. How often do you hear that? This post is about the meal – not how to make raclette cheese. Think of this as cheese fondue’s simpler cousin.
My stepmother, Peggy T, lived in Switzerland with her family while she was in high school. She describes enjoying raclette the traditional way. Restaurants would have a large wheel of raclette cheese positioned near the fire or a heat source. Melted cheese was then scraped (‘racler’ in the French Swiss dialect means ‘to scrape’) onto diners’ plates and served with accompaniments (more on those soon).
Fast forward to the 1990s when my dad found a tabletop raclette maker at our local farmers market. For years Ed and I have borrowed that very same raclette maker to share this wonderfully simple meal with family and friends. This year my parents gave Ed a raclette maker for his birthday so we no longer need to make the 20 minute trek to borrow theirs. The newer model is a slight upgrade (it has been about 30 years) as it has eight small pans for melting cheese rather than six. Look for a raclette maker in your favorite kitchen store or online.
What to serve with this tasty melted raclette cheese? Small steamed potatoes, cornichon (small pickles) and pickled onions are must-haves. We also always have a mild sausage, such as Bockwurst or Weisswurst made from pork and veal that we cook prior to serving. Lately we’ve been adding some sliced dried meats such as salami or prosciutto and have learned that is traditional as well.
As you can see from the photo, the tabletop raclette maker has a griddle on top where you could cook your potatoes and sausage, but we prefer to cook them prior and keep them heated on the griddle. Below you’ll see the small pans for melting cheese.
More on some of the ingredients. Raclette cheese is fairly easy to find (our local Wegmans always has it) and also makes a great cheese for a grilled cheese sandwich since it was made to melt. Cornichons are tart and resemble little gherkin pickles. You’ll likely find them in an olive bar or in a jar in the pickle section. Cocktail onions are small white onions, also found in a jar. Look for Cross and Blackwell Silver Skin Cocktail Onions, Sable and Rosenfeld’s Vermouth Tipsy Onions, or any onion you might put in a cocktail.
It’s so fun to share this meal with people who have never had it (or even heard of it). It’s easy to prepare – much more so than cheese fondue – and quite social. You can add a green salad and/or a baguette to the meal to round it out. A dry French white wine pairs perfectly.
I understand that you may not want to add a raclette maker to your inventory of ‘fun but not used all the time’ kitchen appliances. I came across a recipe from Ina Garten for Baked Raclette in her Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (2020) recently which captures the ingredients and flavors of traditional raclette but is made in the oven.
Craving fondue after reading this? Check out Nicole & Elisabeth’s Cheese Fondue.
Gluten-Free/Wheat-Free Note: Look for gluten-free Bockwurst or Weisswurst – the remaining ingredients are gluten-free/wheat-free.
| Raclette | | Print |
- 1-1/2 pounds small potatoes
- 1 pound mild sausage such as Bockwurst or Weisswurst
- ½ pound dried meat such as prosciutto or salami
- ¾ pound raclette cheese, thinly sliced
- 6 ounces cornichons
- 6 ounces cocktail onions
- Optional: Dijon mustard
- Serve with a simple green salad and a baguette
- If potatoes are not of an equal size, cut into equally sized pieces. Steam over high heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until easily split with a fork.
- Heat sausage links in a skillet over medium heat until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- While potatoes and sausage are cooking, arrange dried meat, cheese, cornichons and cocktail onions on a platter or in bowls for serving. Place mustard in a small bowl, if using.
- minutes (or so) prior to serving, heat the raclette maker on high. Adjust to medium before using. (Adjust timing accordingly based on the directions for your raclette maker.) Transfer potatoes and sausage to griddle.
- To melt the cheese, place one or two slices in a small tray and place back on the raclette maker. Cheese will melt in a few minutes. Using a spatula, scrape cheese onto the potatoes, sausage and/or dried meat on your plate and enjoy with a cornichon and cocktail onion (and mustard, if using).
- Repeat.
* Ingredient amounts are suggestions – you may have leftovers.
* Here’s an example of a raclette maker – look for one in your favorite kitchen store or online.
* Cornichons are tart and resemble little gherkin pickles. You’ll likely find them in an olive bar or in a jar in the pickle section.
* Cocktail onions are small white onions, also found in a jar. Look for Cross and Blackwell Silver Skin Cocktail Onions, Sable and Rosenfeld’s Vermouth Tipsy Onions, or any onion you might put in a cocktail.
I’m so glad you have a raclette maker. We have two of them (serving 6 & 8) and traditionally make it for Christmas Eve. Raclette is so easy, fun, and different for a dinner party. We serve hot potatoes in a bowl to make more room for cooking on top of the raclette maker. I typically use sausages that are already fully cooked, such as kielbasa. A chicken and apple sausage also works well. I slice them on a 1/2 inch diagonal and then guests brown them on the raclette maker while melting their cheese. Mushrooms are also fun to cook. I would also recommend French raclette cheese instead of Swiss (don’t tell my Swiss grandmother). The French one is more flavorful. Be sure to keep the rind on for its yummy salty flavor.
Susie – Thank you for your useful comments. I had no idea there were two types of cheese – I looked and we’ve typically used the Swiss version. Now I have something new to look for. Mushrooms sounds like a lovely addition – I do love mushrooms. Matthew wrote to me about this being a Christmas Eve tradition, too.