Truffado

Elizabeth David discovered this dish in the Auvergne, although I have seen it prepared in Normandy, Poitiers and elsewhere. It is an impressive dish, for all its simplicity. You can use virtually any cheese for the topping, but I've found Raclette to be the best. An alternative is the creamy Chaumes or a brie.

This recipe serves two as a generous main course with cold meats and salad, and four if served as a side vegetable. Cut it into slices with a pizza wheel.

Ingredients

• 500g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 50g butter
• 100g soft cheese, in 1cm cube
• A generous pinch of nutmeg

Melt the butter on a medium heat in a frying pan. Add the olive oil and then fry the garlic slivers gently for a minute or so. Add the sliced potato, sprinkle it with the nutmeg, cover and cook for 15 minutes over a low heat. At the end of this time, the potato should be a dark golden brown and crisp on the base: slide a spatula or two underneath the cake and flip it over, cover it again and cook for a further five minutes. Sprinkle the cheese strips over the top of the potato and cook for another two minutes until it has melted, slice it up using a pizza wheel or a knife, then serve immediately.