Raclette at Home: Amounts per Person and the Best Sides
Yvonne Ammann VegetarianPer person, 200 g sliced raclette cheese, 200 g waxy potatoes boiled in their skins, plus gherkins, pickled onions and two or three fresh sides. You can boil the potatoes hours ahead. Only load the pans with cheese once the grill is properly hot.
Raclette is the most relaxed meal with guests there is — provided the amounts are right. Too little cheese is embarrassing, too much sits in the fridge for a week. Here are the amounts that have worked for us for years, and the sides that actually get eaten.
Ingredients
- 800 g Raclette cheese (sliced)
- 800 g Potatoes (waxy, small)
- 1 jar Gherkins
- 1 jar Pickled silver onions
- 200 g Mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 piece Bell pepper (in strips)
- 1 tin Pineapple (optional)
- 150 g Diced bacon (optional)
- 1 bunch Spring onions
- Paprika
- Pepper
Method
- 1
Boil the potatoes
Boil the potatoes unpeeled in salted water for 20 to 25 minutes until tender. Drain and keep warm in the covered pot — or boil hours ahead and reheat in the oven at 80 °C before the meal.
- 2
Prepare the sides
Slice the mushrooms, pepper and spring onions. Gherkins and pickled onions into small bowls. Everything goes on the table — with raclette, the prep is the whole cooking.
- 3
Heat the grill
Preheat the raclette grill for 10 minutes. If it is not hot enough the cheese turns rubbery instead of creamy, and everyone waits.
- 4
Load the pans
One slice of cheese per pan, topped with bacon, mushrooms or pepper as you like. Slide under the grill for 3 to 4 minutes until the cheese bubbles and browns lightly.
- 5
Serve
Crush a potato on the plate, scrape the cheese over it, season with paprika and pepper. Gherkins and pickled onions on the side. Then the next pan.
Tips
- Have the cheese sliced at the Migros or Coop counter — thinner than a finger. Pre-sliced packaged cheese is often too thick for the pans.
- Mix two cheeses: a mild Valais raclette and a stronger one (smoked or pepper raclette). Then everyone at the table finds a favourite.
- Leftover raclette cheese keeps a week well wrapped and is perfect for Käseschnitte or a potato gratin.
What can I substitute?
All three melt well. Appenzeller is spicier, Tilsiter milder and creamier. Gruyère is a little stringier.
Bread is the fallback when the stove is busy. Sweet potatoes pair surprisingly well with the salty cheese.
The vegetarian and lighter side. Sweet with salty cheese always works — pineapple is popular for the same reason.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from the ingredients.
Frequently asked questions
How much raclette cheese per person?
200 g per adult as a main, 250 g for big eaters, 100 g for children. Plus 200 g potatoes per person. Better to buy a little extra cheese — leftovers are easy to use up, but you cannot top up mid-meal.
What sides go with raclette?
Classic: potatoes in their skins, gherkins, pickled onions, paprika. Popular extras: mushrooms, peppers, bacon, pineapple, pears, spring onions, cherry tomatoes and a green salad. Two or three fresh sides are enough — more usually goes uneaten.
Can I prepare raclette in advance?
Almost everything. Boil the potatoes in the afternoon, cut the vegetables and refrigerate covered, have the cheese sliced. In the evening all that is left is switching on the grill and reheating the potatoes.
Which potatoes for raclette?
Small waxy varieties such as Charlotte, Amandine or Nicola. They stay intact when boiled in their skins and do not fall apart. Floury potatoes turn mushy.
How much does raclette cost per person?
With counter cheese about 8 to 10 CHF per person including potatoes and sides. Migros and Coop run raclette cheese promotions almost weekly from October.
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