Oven-Roasted Charlotte Potatoes Au Gratin with Époisses Cheese – Expert Recipe

• 6 large Charlotte potatoes
• 1 mature Époisses cheese
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, degermed, and chopped
• ½ bunch chives
• Milled pepper
• 1 pinch Espelette pepper
• Guérande salt
• Coarse sea salt

1. Wash the potatoes without peeling and place them on a bed of coarse sea salt. Bake in a preheated oven at 220°C for 1 hour, adjusting time based on potato size.
2. Split the potatoes open on top, scoop out 1 tablespoon of flesh into a bowl. Add chopped garlic, shallot, and chives. Crush the Époisses with a fork, season with milled pepper, and mix into a creamy filling.
3. Stuff the potatoes with the mixture, sprinkle with Espelette pepper, and add a few grains of Guérande salt on top.
4. Brown in the oven for 5 minutes. Serve piping hot.

About Époisses: Hailed as the "King of Cheeses" by Brillat-Savarin, Époisses from a Côte d'Or village earned AOC status in 1991. This cow's milk disk is slowly matured, rind washed in Marc de Bourgogne, yielding an orange exterior and supple, unctuous interior with a bold, bouquet-like aroma. It delivers a creamy melt on the palate, ideal for strong cheese enthusiasts.

Related specialties include potent Saint-Vincent, Ami du Chambertin (perfect with Burgundy wines), Chablis-washed cow's milk cheeses, milder Soumaintrain akin to a subtle Munster, lactic Saint-Florentin, ash-refined Aisy cendré, fruity Citeaux, Époisses-style Pierre-qui-Vire, and goat cheeses like Mâconnais, Charolais, Montrachet, plus spicy Bouton-de-culotte.

Hubert, Master Cheesemaker & Chef