This dish is often found in many high-end restaurants, but with quite a few things you can do to upgrade the flavor with common ingredients. Since the average person has to get their ingredients from supermarkets, Port Salut cheese is probably the best substitute for the difficult to find Reblochon. That said, you are MUCH better off using chopped Pancetta (which you won't have to drain) than bacon. A couple of cloves of garlic go very well in with the onions and bacon/pancetta. Also, I would recommend only half-pre-cooking the potatoes in step 1, then slicing them, and then frying them in withe the frying pan items before putting them in the baking dish. Perhaps most importantly, this dish was MADE for Thyme - add 1/2 tbsp of thyme to the cream and wine before baking too. Yummy! Great addition to the site!

Reblochon is a very regional cheese specific to the Alps. Which is what makes this an Alpine specialty. It will be hard to find Stateside. It is really good if you wait for the creme fraiche and put it on top of the cheese and everything the last 10 min.

Raclette cheese also works well as a substitute for the Reblochon, which is much more difficult to find.

was VERY yummy! a quick warning...if you can find the reblochon like it calls for, it smells pretty nasty (a combo of sweaty feet and B.O) BUT the final product DOES NOT taste like you are eating feet! I loved it!

Used a whole pound of bacon, but other than that made exactly as directed and was it ever wonderful! Husband took leftovers to work the next day for lunch and everyone asked what he was warming up since it smelled so good. Thanks!

Very good. I couldn't find Reblochon at the places I hang out, so I ended up using Brie. Also made my own creme fraiche for the same reason. My finished product obviously wasn't completely authentic, but we enjoyed it anyway. I'd like to try it again sometime with the Reblochon cheese. Thanks for the recipe!