I don't know how I discovered raclette.  I've never had it abroad or in a restaurant.  Maybe I saw a spread in a food magazine about raclette grills.  In any case, I bought one in July 2014 and started using it in November.  My inlaws came for Thanksgiving and we decided to try it out.  It was a ton of fun!  I had viewed youtube videos about how to use it and what the popular ingredients were.  I bought onions to soak in balsamic vinegar, small golden potatoes, bell peppers, honeycrisp apples, cocktail onions, cornichons, capers, artisanal bread, prosciutto, smoked sausages that I sliced, and green tomatoes.  For the raclette paddles (where you melt the cheese) I bought Tillamook sharp cheddar and bleu cheese. I also put fig jam, raspberry jam, jalapeno vinegar, Dijon mustard and olive tapenade in small bowls.

So, when the raclette grill is plugged in and placed on the table top, all the ingredients are placed on a side table or near the guests to be passed around.  Everyone places their favorite meats, vegetables or fruit on the grill top and their favorite cheese on their raclette paddle(s).  They put pickles and other salty sour bites on the side of their plate and then add them to the sizzling meat and melty cheese they take from the raclette.  Each small pile can be topped with sauces.  It's fun to create different combinations of flavors on your plate.  One of my favorites is sliced apples with melted Tillamook and smoked sausages dipped in Dijon mustard with a bite of bleu cheese golden potato.