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Aligot

Tom Parker Bowles from Market Kitchen
Tom Parker Bowles shows how easy it is to make this class French dish of mashed potatoes with cheese and garlic

Aligot

Method

1. Cook the potatoes in their skins until tender. Remove the skins and sieve them to give a dry purée. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2. In a small bowl, crush the garlic with a little salt to soften.

3. Heat the butter and cream in a heavy saucepan until the butter has melted, add the potato and stir until thoroughly combined and hot. Add the garlic.

4. Stir in the cheese, all at once, and beat vigorously until the mixture becomes smooth and elastic. It should pull into bubblegum-like strings when you lift the spoon: if the mixture is too stiff, add a little hot milk.

5. Aligot should be served as soon as it is made.

Cook’s note: it must be tomme de cantal, a soft, white unfermented cheese that is the youngest of the cantal family of cheeses. The older ones are simply known as ‘cantal’ and are not suitable for this recipe. If you can’t get hold of tomme de cantal, Caerphilly or Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire can be substituted.

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Serves: 6

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 20 min

Ingredients
1kg floury Potatoes, such as King Edwards
2 large garlic cloves
60g unsalted butter
120ml Cream
300g tomme de cantal Cheese, cut into very thin slices (see cook’s note below)
hot Milk, for mixing