Aligot à l'ancienne
Recipe by Marie-Danielle
Aligot à l'ancienne is a dish traditionally made in L'Aubrac region of France. It is essentially just mashed potatoes blended with melted cheese and a little garlic. However, this fondue-like dish is a common sight in restaurants in the Auvergne region if mid- France. It is still cooked by hand and enjoyed at home as well as in street markets and makes a great talking point when your guests have never come across it before.
** Traditionally, Aligot à l'ancienne is made with the a cheese called Tomme de Laguiole or Tomme d'Auvergne (which gives it a slightly nutty flavour). However, Tomme is not a cheese that is widely available and other cheeses can be used instead, including Mozzarella, Laguiole and (young) Cantal.
Be sure to use floury potatoes (like Estima, King Edward, Maris Piper, Desiree). Floury potatoes are better for dishes where you want fluffy potatoes or for mash. Waxy potatoes (like Charlotte or Maris Peer) are good at staying firm and keeping their shape so they make great salad potatoes.
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All-In-One Summer Chicken Ingredients for Aligot à l'ancienne
Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements
How to Cook Aligot à l'ancienne
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
MARIE-DANIELLE'S HOT TIP:
Don't be tempted to try and speed up the integration of the cheese with the mashed potato. 15 minutes (minimum) at low heat, stirring and 'stretching' the Aligot à l'ancienne all the time.
Aligot à l'ancienne is traditionally served with an Auvergne red wine (usually a Gamay grape) like Côte-Roannaise Les Originelles 2012 Sérol
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