Morbier Gratin Potatoes
After careers in office furniture and then mortgages sent Manny Gualco looking for a more pleasurable way to earn a living, he landed a job in one of the foodie-renowned Nugget Markets near his home in Northern California. Not long after, a job in the cheese department opened, and Manny was not too proud to beg. He got the job and a cheese-monger was born. After mentoring four years under two of the market’s formaggio heads, he and his wife decided to move to Traverse City, her hometown, where he founded Manny’s Specialty Cheese Shop on Eighth Street. His customers don’t walk out without having tasted at least some of the 130 to 150 varieties that he carries. And sometimes they walk in with fabulous cheese recipes. Such as the one below, that Manny tweaked a bit before bestowing it on our very fortunate readers.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 pound slab bacon, cut into 1-by-1⁄2-inch slices
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup unoaked chardonnay
- 3 large Idaho russets, peeled and thinly sliced
- Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound Morbier cheese, rind removed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices