You can be Francophobic all you want and hate gabachos because you went to Paris and they looked at you badly, because of May Day or because they make very slow films. You might not even like country pâté, Nicoise salad or crème brûlée. However, it must be recognized that few countries work with cheese, butter and/or cream dishes like our unloved neighbor. It’s as if they have the gift of blocking your arteries in the most pleasant way, transforming milk fat into pure taste.
Proof of this are the soufflé, the croque monsieur or the potato gratin, whose recipes are already in the El Comidista repertoire. In this chapter we were missing one of the most lustful, pornographic and silky mashed potatoes you can find, known as pommes aligot OR aligot dryly. Typical of Auvergne, in the south of France, its preparation is quite simple: just a few ingredients and an arm to mix.
Although we have replaced the traditional tomme fraîche with two cheeses that are easier to find in Spain – the creamy one from Cantabria and the semi-mature one from Mahón-Menorca –, you can actually use any cheese you like and that melts easily. We also change the cream for crème fraîche, because it has a hint of acidity that lightens such an intense puree a bit, but if you can’t find it, use liquid cream with 35% fat (the one used for whipping). See how it’s all done in the video above.
Ingredients
For 4-6 people
- 800 g monalisa potatoes (or any other good for cooking)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 175 g soft or semi-mature Mahón cheese (or similar)
- 175 g Cantabrian cream cheese (ditto)
- 200 g crème fraîche (if not available, whipping cream)
- 100ml whole milk (or more, if you’re looking for a lighter consistency)
- Fresh chives to taste
- Ground white pepper
- Salt
Instructions
Peel the potatoes, cut them into large cubes and place them in a saucepan with the garlic and a little salt. Cover them with water, heat them over high heat and, when it boils, lower it to medium heat. Leave to boil for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked (check with a knife).
In the meantime, grate the cheeses and chop the chives.
Pass the potatoes through a food mill and put them back in the saucepan. Garlic can also be crushed and added to the puree if you want a more intense flavor of this ingredient.
Place the saucepan with the potatoes over low heat. Add the crème fraîche and milk and mix until you obtain a silky puree.
Add one of the cheeses and stir with a spoon or whisk until the cheese melts. Continue with the other one and mix for about five minutes or until the puree is uniform, shiny and with a slightly elastic consistency.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately with chopped chives on top. It is excellent as an accompaniment to sausages, botifarra or any other meat.
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