Aligot (Cheesy Potatoes)
By Andrew Zimmern
Some classic dishes are cooked less and less these days which surprises me on two fronts. First off, classics are classics for a reason. And secondly, some of these classics are so simple.
If you love cheese enriched potatoes, you will love aligot, a classic French recipe from Aubrac. Have you ever broken a hollandaise sauce? Ever baked or mixed cheese into potatoes and seen the same effect—the fat from the cheese separating from the other ingredients? Well it’s scientifically impossible for that to happen with aligot because the starch that comes out of the potatoes absorbs the fats from the cream and cheese. Cooked with garlic, and the nutty flavors of Appenzeller, Gruyere, Comte, or combination thereof, these potatoes pair with any roasted meat or poultry, or traditionally, the way they do in Aubrac with sausages.
Aligot Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 pounds gold potatoes, medium sized, left whole, peeled
- 4 garlic cloves or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 cup heavy cream plus 2oz.
- 1 stick butter
- 12 ounces grated cheese, I like a combination of Appenzeller, Gruyère, Comté but a mix of any 2 is fine. If you go with 1 cheese I prefer it be Comte or Gruyere.
Serve with:
- Sausages
- Toast
- Pickled Hot Peppers
- Mustard
- Sauerkraut
Instructions
Boil 3 to 4 quarts of water and season it with salt and thyme.
In a separate pan, sear the sausages and keep warm
Cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender.
Drain and rice the potatoes and garlic together.
Add the butter and stir vigorously over low heat for 3-4 minutes
Add the cream and stir vigorously over low heat for 3-4 minutes
Add the cheeses, in thirds, stirring for another 3-4 minutes in total.
You want the aligot to be soft, hot and ribbony off the spatula.
Season with salt and serve.
