This Winter, Enjoy 10 Must-Try Mountain Recipes
Winter is the season of hearty meals, melted cheese and long evenings around the table. From the Alps to the Pyrenees, via the Jura and Auvergne, discover 10 iconic mountain dishes — with storytelling and detailed recipes — ready to cook at home.
Table of Contents
- Cheese Specialties from the Alps
- Jura Specialties
- Auvergne & Massif Central
- Flavors of the Italian Alps
- Pyrenean Traditions
- Bonus: Matouille
- Conclusion: A Gourmet Stay with GSI by Foncia
Cheese Specialties from the Alps
The kingdom of aging cellars, characterful cheeses and endless dinners.
1 / Raclette, the Winter Classic
More than just a dish — it’s a ritual. Everyone melts their slice of cheese, the creamy aroma fills the room, potatoes steam, charcuterie is passed around, and pickles add crunch. Today, raclette comes in many varieties: smoked, goat, blue… or even vegetarian with roasted vegetables.
Recipe for 4:
- 800 g raclette cheese (classic, smoked, goat or blue)
- 1.5 kg firm potatoes
- 600 g assorted cold cuts (ham, cured beef, coppa, salami…)
- Pickles and green salad
Tip: try the Vercouline, a version made with Blue du Vercors-Sassenage, or swap charcuterie for grilled mushrooms and onions.
2 / Tartiflette & Croziflette, Savoyard Queens
Created in the 1980s to promote Reblochon cheese, tartiflette quickly became a ski resort icon: rich, creamy and comforting. Its cousin, croziflette, replaces potatoes with crozets, buckwheat pasta from Savoie — a surprising and delicious twist.
Tartiflette (4 servings):
- 1 whole Reblochon (farmhouse)
- 1 kg potatoes
- 250 g smoked bacon • 2 onions
- 200 ml crème fraîche • 100 ml white wine from Savoie
- Pepper, nutmeg
Croziflette (4 servings):
- 400 g crozets (plain or buckwheat)
- 1 Reblochon
- 250 g cured ham or bacon • 1 onion
- 200 ml crème fraîche • Salt, pepper
Lighter option: replace bacon with sautéed mushrooms and add fresh herbs.
3 / Fondue (Savoyard & Swiss)
A true Alpine ritual. The Savoyard fondue blends Comté, Beaufort and Emmental de Savoie; the Swiss version combines Gruyère, Emmental and Appenzeller. Whichever you choose, dipping crusty bread into bubbling cheese and white wine is always magical.
Savoyard Fondue (4):
- 200 g Comté • 200 g Beaufort • 200 g Emmental de Savoie
- 300 ml dry white wine • 1 garlic clove • 1 glass Kirsch
- 400 g country bread
Swiss Fondue (4):
- 170 g Gruyère • 170 g Emmental • 55 g Appenzeller
- 1 cup dry white wine • 1 garlic clove • 1 tsp lemon juice
- Dash of Kirsch • 400 g bread
Tip: serve with walnut or rye bread, and roasted vegetables for dipping.
4 / Diots in White Wine
Diots are Savoyard sausages, either plain or smoked. Slowly braised in white wine with onions and herbs, they develop an irresistible aroma. Traditionally served with polenta or crozets, they’re a rustic alternative to cheese-based dishes.
Recipe for 4:
- 6–8 diots
- 30 g butter
- 500 ml dry white wine from Savoie
- 2 onions + 1 shallot
- 1 tbsp flour • Thyme, bay leaf
5 / Berthoud, a Hidden Gem from Chablais
Less famous than fondue or raclette, Berthoud highlights Abondance cheese, melted with white wine or Madeira, seasoned with pepper and nutmeg. Served with boiled potatoes and charcuterie, it’s a powerful and authentic dish from Chablais.
Recipe for 4:
- 720 g Abondance cheese
- 1 garlic clove
- 50 ml white wine (Savoie) or Madeira
- Pepper, nutmeg
Jura Specialties
Wooden boxes, Mont d’Or cheese, and wines aged under a veil of yeast.
6 / Mont d’Or, the Hot Box
A seasonal cheese (September–April), Mont d’Or is baked right in its spruce box, often with a splash of Jura white wine. Served with boiled potatoes and smoked Morteau sausage, it’s a comforting winter feast.
Recipe for 4:
- 1 Mont d’Or (500 g)
- 12 potatoes
- 50 ml Jura white wine (Savagnin)
- 1 Morteau sausage
- 4 slices cured ham from Haut-Doubs
Auvergne & Massif Central
Iron skillets, melted tomme and rustic charm.
7 / Truffade from Auvergne
This rustic dish combines sautéed potatoes, bacon and melted Cantal tomme. Traditionally cooked in a cast-iron pan and served with a green salad, it’s hearty and comforting.
Recipe for 4:
- 1 kg potatoes
- 150 g smoked bacon
- 2 garlic cloves
- 400 g fresh Cantal tomme
8 / Aligot from Aubrac
Aligot is a spectacularly stretchy mashed potato dish mixed with fresh Aubrac tomme. Served piping hot, it’s a show at the table and a true crowd-pleaser.
Recipe for 4:
- 1 kg potatoes
- 500 g fresh Aubrac tomme
- 250 ml crème fraîche
- 4 garlic cloves
- 20 g butter • Salt, pepper
Flavors of the Italian Alps
A Piémontese classic that crossed the border.
9 / Polenta, the Taste of Piedmont
Made from cornmeal, polenta can be creamy with Parmesan, grilled into cakes, or sweetened with chestnut flour in Corsica. Perfect with poultry, stews or mushrooms.
Recipe for 4:
- 200 g instant polenta
- 80 g grated Parmesan
- 50 g butter
- Salt
Pyrenean Traditions
Hearty soups, cabbage, Tarbais beans and smoky pork aromas.
10 / Garbure, the Mountain Soup
A rustic Pyrenean soup, garbure is thick with cabbage, root vegetables and pork. In its “royal” version, it’s enriched with duck confit. Slowly simmered, it’s warming and deeply satisfying.
Recipe for 4:
- 200 g Tarbais beans
- 4 potatoes, 3 turnips, 4 carrots
- 1 cabbage, 2 leeks, 1 onion, celery
- ½ pork shank, 150 g pork belly, 1 ham bone
- Option: add duck confit at the end
Bonus: Matouille from Savoie
Lesser-known but just as convivial, Matouille is a potato and melted tomme dish, served straight from the pan. Simple and rustic, it’s made to share.
Recipe for 4:
- 1 kg potatoes
- 400 g fresh Savoie tomme
- 2 garlic cloves
- 20 g butter • Salt, pepper
A Gourmet Stay with GSI by Foncia
These mountain recipes are invitations to share and enjoy long winter evenings. To experience them at their best, book your cozy mountain nest with GSI by Foncia: charming chalets, apartments and residences at the foot of the slopes in Savoie and Haute-Tarentaise.
→ Discover GSI by Foncia rentals and book your mountain stay
FAQ — Mountain Recipes
What are the most famous mountain dishes?
Raclette, Savoyard fondue, tartiflette, Mont d’Or, aligot, truffade and the Pyrenean garbure are among the most famous.
What’s the difference between tartiflette and croziflette?
Tartiflette is made with potatoes, Reblochon, onions and bacon. Croziflette replaces the potatoes with Savoyard buckwheat pasta called crozets.
Which wine pairs best with raclette or fondue?
A dry white wine from Savoie such as Apremont, Roussette or Chignin pairs perfectly with melted cheese.
