Aligot à l'ancienne

Serves: to serve 6

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Ready In: 1 hr

12 oz - tomme fraîche d'Auvergne cheese **

1¼ lb - floury potatoes

2 oz - butter

6.5 fl oz - crème fraîche

1 clove - garlic

- salt and pepper

Peel and crush (mince) the garlic and cut the cheese into very fine slices (you can use a mandelin if you have one). Peel the potatoes and cut into pieces of roughly equal size (A medium-sized potato is usually cut into about 6 pieces). Rinse the potatoes to remove any surface starch. Now place them in a large pan with sufficient salted water to cover the potatoes. Bring the water to the boil then turn down the heat and cover the pan so that it continues to boil gently.
Cooking time can vary depending upon the type of potato and the texture. Generally, however, somewhere between 15 - 20 minutes is sufficient. When you think that the potatoes are close to being cooked, pierce one or two of them with a fork. If the fork penetrates easily with little resistance, the potatoes are cooked. Remove the pan from the heat and drain off the water.
Add the garlic, butter and cream to the potatoes. Salt and pepper lighly and, using a potato masher, break up and mash the potatoes until they are smooth. Stir the finely sliced cheese into the potato and place on a low heat.
For at least 15 minutes, stir the ingredients with a big wooden spoon, making figures of eight in the mash and lifting it into the air repeatedly to obtain a smooth, elastic texture which has a long tail that detaches easily from the pan.
Serve onto each plate at the table by lifting a serving into the air and cutting off a big ribbon with scissors! (Yes, this is the correct way to serve Aligot!). Serve hot with Grilled Sausages or Lamb Chops