Potato and kale gratin with Vacherin

In short: Potatoes and curly kale with red onion, gratinated under slices of Vacherin Fribourgeois. Ready in half an hour, with raw carrots in apple cider vinegar.

Serves: 4. 30 minutes.

Patata, Cavolo riccio, Cipolla rossa, Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP, Burro svizzero, Carota

Ingredients

• 800 g waxy potatoes
• 400 g curly kale (without the tough stems)
• 100 g red onion (1 piece)
• 5 g garlic (1 clove)
• 200 g sliced Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP
• 10 g Swiss butter
• 10 g rapeseed oil
• 300 g carrots (3 pieces)
• 20 g apple cider vinegar
• 5 g rapeseed oil
• 5 g salt
• 0.5 g nutmeg
• 1 g pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C with the grill. Slice the potatoes thinly, 4-5 mm, and boil for 10 minutes in water with 3 g salt. Drain.
2. Cut the kale into thin strips and the onion into slices. Heat 10 g oil, sauté the onion and crushed garlic for 3 minutes, add the kale, 1 g salt and 45 g water and cook for 8 minutes, until tender.
3. Grease a baking dish with the butter. Layer half of the potatoes, then the kale, then the remaining potatoes; add pepper and grate a little nutmeg.
4. Cover with the Vacherin slices and gratinate for 8 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden.
5. Meanwhile, grate the carrots and dress them with the vinegar, 5 g oil and 1 g salt. Serve the gratin hot with the carrots. Lunch box: reheat for 2 minutes in the microwave, pack the carrots separately.
6. Warning. Vacherin Fribourgeois is a semi-hard cheese: pregnant women, young children, older people and immunocompromised people should eat it only well cooked, with the center at least 70 °C for 2 minutes, or choose an aged hard cheese such as Sbrinz or Gruyère, without the rind.
7. Warning. Lunch box: if you make it ahead, put it in the fridge within two hours of cooking; keep it in the fridge or in a cool bag until lunch and eat it the same day; if you reheat it, do so only once, until piping hot in the center.

Updated on 25 October 2026