Potatoes healthful, appealing to youngsters
Even picky eaters usually like potatoes, and thank goodness for that. Potatoes are really nutritious – practically a balanced meal unto themselves if you accompany them with a dairy product – but all the younger set cares about is that they don’t look or taste weird, like, say, spinach or broccoli.
Combine potatoes and that other kid favorite, cheese, with a specialized tabletop raclette grill and you’ve got the makings for “raclette” – a meal invented by the Swiss, who also gave the world fondue.
Raclette is the word used to describe the meal, as well as the name of the cheese, a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese with a high fat content, ensuring it will melt smoothly.
Raclette is a really easy, economical, cozy, family-friendly meal, perfect for gathering the family at the table on a cold winter night.
When you do raclette, make sure the children understand that the raclette grill itself is very hot and can’t be touched.
The grill is used to melt slices of raclette cheese in cute little individual pans.
The melted cheese is then poured onto a hot boiled potato, accompanied by thin slices of ham, and, for a crunchy, piquant counterpoint, tiny gherkin pickles and pickled baby onions.
When my son first experienced raclette he devoured three entire potatoes, and pronounced it the best meal ever.
Melting his own cheese at the table was undoubtedly the main attraction.
Raclette cheese might be hard to find in the U.S., but a good substitute would be havarti or muenster.
Or, just experiment with your favorite cheeses to see what works.
For grownups, the best liquid accompaniment is a fruity white wine – but for the children, the traditional raclette drink is hot tea. Milk or hot apple cider will do very well, too.
Raclette
A raclette grill
Scrubbed, boiled, organic potatoes (allow 2 per person depending on size – peel them if they’re not organic)
Sliced cheese (raclette, havarti, muenster, or similar; one or two slices for each potato)
Thinly sliced deli ham, warm or cold (2 slices per person)
Baby gherkins and baby pickled onions
Put the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil on the stove, and cook until they are tender all the way through when pierced with a fork.
While the potatoes are cooking, have the children set the table.
When the potatoes are almost done, set up the raclette grill on the table and turn it on. Have children arrange and set out slices of cheese, ham, pickles and onions.
When potatoes are finished, drain, place in a microwave- and heat-proof dish covered with a towel, and bring to the table immediately.
Let everyone melt their own cheese and help themselves to accompaniments.
If the potatoes cool down too much during the meal, pop them into the microwave for a few minutes.