In Bourg d’Oisans, we particularly master the gratin dauphinois. As indicated by his name, this famous dish was born in the Dauphiné region. In this very poor region in the past, a lot of milk was produced, and a lot of potatoes were also grown, as early as the 17th century: firstly, because it adapts well to the mountains, she comes from Peru let’s not forget it! And then, it replaces bread or chestnuts when there is nothing else.
We do not know the name of the person who had the idea of cut the potatoes into thin slicesto put them in a dish rubbed with garlic with a mixture of milk and cream, salt and a little nutmeg… But what we do know is that gratin dauphinois appeared for the first time in a writing, just before the French Revolution ! At the time, it was served as an accompaniment to a dish of ortolans, birds renowned for their delicate flesh and banned nowadays, because their species is threatened…
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, gratin dauphinois became popular everywhere. Today he is part of the ranking of the 10 favorite dishes of the French ! Even if it’s easy to make, you don’t mess around with its recipe… A true emblem of culinary heritage!
The Stéphanois can be proud ofanother potato-based speciality: grated. It’s very good! For those who don’t know it, it’s a kind of pancake, made from grated raw potatoes mixed with beaten eggs, a little flour, salt and pepper. They are then put to fry in oil or in butter. We find variations of grated under other names in the Rhône-Alpes region, matefaim in Savoie, creek in Ardèche and Lyon, and even in Alsace and Switzerland, where it is called rösti! To be quite exact, it seems that the Ardèche creek inspired la râpée, probably during the 1st World War with the arrival of Ardèche peasants in Pilat!
So, gratin dauphinois or grated cheese, one thing is certain, cyclists will have the potato today!