fitfool | Bacon and Cheese Potato Cake (Pommes des Vendangeurs)

I've said it before and it's still true. I adore potatoes. And as Michael said on many occasions, "Bacon makes everything taste better." So when I saw this recipe for what's essentially a bacon-wrapped potato gratin with cheese, I absolutely had to to try it. Loved it so much I made it twice. In a single weekend. Met the hearty approval of 6 kids (10 to 12 years old, including one who said it was the best potato dish he'd ever eaten) as well as the adults present (though they felt a little guilty about the fat content). Even with most of a package of bacon, one kid said, "I think it needs more bacon." Ah...there's a man after my own heart.

What does Pommes des Vendangeurs mean in French? I'm getting a translation of "apples of the grape pickers" at http://www.freetranslation.com. Are they serious or are they just trying to get me to purchase a real translation?

small picture of the bacon and cheese potato cake

Bacon and Cheese Potato Cake (Pommes des Vendangeurs)

Items needed: One ovenproof 9-inch round baking pan, preferably nonstick. (I used a 9-inch round stone baking dish with sides.)

1 tablespoon butter [omitted]
6 ounces slab bacon or 1 package of bacon
2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes or red potatoes
1 1/4 cups grated Gruyere cheese [used Irish cheddar since that's what we had]
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425*F.
Butter the bottom and sides of pan. [skipped this step since there was plenty of bacon though it might've made removing from pan easier]
Arrange the bacon slices, spiral fashion, on the bottom and sides of the pan. Allow the bacon to drape over the edge. Set aside.
Peel the potatoes, rinse under cold running water, and pat dry. Slice into thin rounds, rinse again, and dry thoroughly in a thick towel. [I was too lazy to dry the rinsed potatoes and that didn't seem to hurt things]
Arrange one third of the potato slices on top of the bacon
Sprinkle with one third of the cheese.
Repeat, creating two addtional layers of potatoes and cheese.
Fold the overhanging bacon onto the potatoes. [You might want to put a toothpick through the center to try to keep the bacon from curling up and away from the center.]
Bake, uncovered, until the potatoes offer no resistance when pierced with a knife, 40 to 50 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer it to a rack. Let it rest, still covered, for 15 minutes, so that the potates will unmold easily. Unmold the potatoes onto a warmed serving platter, season generously with freshly ground black pepper, and serve, cutting into wedges. [I left mine in the dish and served it from there at the table.]

Serve with a salad. Could serve 4 as a main course or maybe 6-8 if each person only gets a little taste of it.

Variations
snarkactual suggested a few variations on this dish called Pommes de Terre Etouffade: "You'd add chopped onions, chopped shallots, some thyme, parsley and a bay leaf to the casserole. A Norman version of this that's a bit messier to eat substitutes heavy cream for the cheese and uses chopped sauteed onions with a thin sliced smoked ham or bacon."

von_krag suggested throwing in mushrooms and diced onions.

I don't remember how I stumbled upon this recipe since I don't hang out on xanga but I had bookmarked this recipe at some point and I'm really glad I did. Many thanks to MrsCatherine!
http://www.xanga.com/item.aspx?tab=weblogs&user=MrsCatherine&uid=430802198

Thread at food_porn