Title: Aligot
Categories: Side Vegetable Cheese French
Yield: 4 Servings

1	kg	Potatoes
		Salt
60	g	Butter
250	ml	Double cream;-=OR=- better
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 gruyŠre 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 amd 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 c/o Georges' Home BBS 2:323/4.4

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