This is one of my death row, apocalypse-is-nigh dishes. It is very simple, so worth getting the best ingredients you can. If you can, source grenier potatoes, which are sweet and creamy, but any other small potato (or larger boiled potatoes cut into wedges) will work. I love the simplicity of potatoes, cornichons and fresh crusty bread, but feel free to improvise with other crudite ingredients – chicory would be very good – or some ham. Some people add wine to their cheese but, again – , I prefer simplicity.
Serves 2-4
vacherin mont d’or cheese 750g (other soft cheeses such camembert also work. If the packaging isn’t suitable, wrap the whole cheese in tin foil)
small potatoes 300g, skin on
cornichons 200g
fresh, crusty bread or baguette sliced
Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas mark 4. Take the cheese out of its wooden box and inner packaging, then put it back into the wooden box. You can wrap it in foil too, but in all honesty I don’t bother. It will need 20-25 minutes in the oven. To check it’s done, just give it a little shake and a jiggle – if it’s wobbly and molten, it’s done.
Meanwhile, put the potatoes into a pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Cook until they are soft, but not falling apart. Drain them and put them on to a nice small platter, then add the cornichons and bread alongside.
Dip the potatoes, cornichons and bread into the molten cheese and enjoy with a cold glass of a high acidity white wine from Jura or Alsace. You may need to fight your companions at the very end, trying to scrape the last bits of rind flavoured by the gorgeous forest flavour of the spruce box.
Olia Hercules is a chef and food writer
