Title: Aligot
Categories: Side dish, Potatoes, Cheese, French
Yield: 8 Servings
1 kg Potatoes
Salt
60 g Butter
250 ml Double cream
250 ml Creme Fraiche
360 g Tome Fraiche; NB*
Pepper
NB. This dish is made with a cheese sold under the name of "Tome …
Truffade", (another potato dish from the Auvergne). It is the curd
from which Cantal cheese is made, a cooked hard cheese rather of the
type of cheddar. Tome … Truffade is really quite soft, very mild and
slightly rubbery in texture. It's not much good to eat on its own,
but cooks up nicely in this and other similar dishes. I hope this
description enables you to find an intelligent substitute locally. A
grated VERY mild cheddar might do.
"In contrast to cheese fondues which is cooked only until the cheese
melts, the cheese and potato mixture for aligot should be beaten over
the heat, so the cheese cooks to form long ribbons which are cut
('aligoter' in the local dialect) for serving. Dry gruyere or sharp
cheddar can be used instead of cantal (Absolutely wrong- see my
notes. IMH). AW"
Cut the cheese, if soft, into small cubes, or grate if hard enough.
Peel the potatoes and cut each into 2-3 even sized pieces. Put them
into a pot, cover with cold water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a
boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender
when pierced with a knife or skewer. They should be quite soft (but
not falling to bits IMH).
Drain the potatoes thoroughly, and while still hot, push them
through a sieve or vegetable mill, or a potato ricer. Put the
puree in a heavy saucepan, add the butter and beat with a wooden
spoon over a low fire until the potatoes are light and fluffy.
Without removing from the heat, beat in the cream and then the
cheese and continue beating constantly with a wooden spoon until
the aligot forms long ribbons when it falls from the spoon. Season
to taste with pepper (and salt) and serve very hot.
IH notes, I use this to accompany crisply fried sausages, or
grilled bacon, where it is wonderful. With a mixed green salad,
you have the basis for an excellent and simple french meal, very
typical of the Auvergne. In the Auvergne, where this dish is
cooked in great cauldrons to celebrate the return of the cows from
their summer quarters in the hills, they would chop a lot of
garlic very finely, and each guest would sprinkle as much or as
little as they liked, over the aligot.
Recipe Anne Willan - French Regional Cooking Commented and MMed IMH
