GAH, I KNEW I WAS FORGETTING SOMETHING
ok here:
I used brie instead of whatever that thing was he suggested, mostly because I had a wheel of brie reaching the end of its life.
it turned out pretty well. I think my potatoes were not cooked as through as they should have, and I didn't chop my bacon as fine as they should have, but the dish is pretty tolerant of these mistakes, imo.
it's a heavy dish between all the carbs (potato), the fatty bacon, and the cheese, so I took the video's advice and served it with a single green salad (watercress, with a dressing of wine vinegar, olive oil, salt/pepper, and grated apple. Then threw on a few dried tomatoes for color)
pictures follow. This served a family of 5 for the night and had enough leftovers for lunch the next day.
excuse the potato quality - phone, bad lighting, and unsteady hand
CONCLUSION: can confirm, tartiflette is delicious