TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Aligot
A specialty of the Aubrac plateau in Auvergne. Unaged tome fraîche cheese is worked into potato purée in one direction until it stretches into ribbons. In its homeland it accompanies sausages or meat dishes. A long strand stretching from the raised wooden spoon signals that it is ready.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.
Ingredients (4 servings)
- Floury potatoes (Danshaku type)Use a floury variety such as Danshaku. Peel and cut into 4 pieces.800 g
- Tome fraîcheUnaged cheese specifically used for aligot. Almost unavailable in Japan; see substitutions. Cut into 5 mm slices.400 g
- Unsalted butterFor emulsifying the purée.50 g
- Heavy cream100 ml
- GarlicGrated.1 clove
- Salt1 tsp for the cooking water; 1 tsp for seasoning the purée.2 tsp
Method
Prepare the potatoes and cheese
- 1 Peel 800 g potatoes and cut them into 4 pieces.
- 2 Grate 1 garlic clove.
- 3 Cut 400 g tome fraîche into 5 mm slices; slicing it cold helps prevent crumbling.
Boil the potatoes
- 1 Put the potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cook over medium-low heat for 18–20 minutes.
- 2 They are done when a bamboo skewer slides through easily.
Make a smooth potato purée
- 1 Drain the potatoes and, while hot, pass them through a sieve or mash them back into the pot with a potato masher.
- 2 Set the pot over low heat, add 50 g butter, 100 ml cream, the grated garlic and 1 tsp salt, and work together with a wooden spoon.
Ready when
Continue once the floury texture has disappeared and the purée is smooth.
Work in the cheese until stretchy
- 1 Keep the purée over low heat and add the tome fraîche in 3 batches.
- 2 After each addition, work it vigorously with a wooden spoon, always in the same direction.
Ready when
It is ready when lifting the spoon pulls the mixture into a ribbon at least 30 cm long and it comes cleanly away from the sides of the pot.
Caution
Excessive heat separates the cheese fat and prevents stretching. If the pot gets too hot, take it off the heat briefly, but keep working the mixture.
Serve while hot
- 1 Serve immediately while hot, as it loses its stretch when it cools.
- 2 In its homeland it is served alongside grilled sausages or meat dishes.
About this dish
The Aubrac plateau, stretching south of Auvergne in south-central France, is a dairy-farming region of pastures more than 1000 m above sea level. Aligot, a dish of potatoes and cheese, was born on this plateau.
Its origins are said to lie in the monastery tradition of feeding pilgrims traveling to Santiago de Compostela. Later, herdsmen on the plateau continued making it in stone mountain huts called burons, using the unaged tome fraîche produced during cheesemaking.
At home, aligot is plated as an accompaniment to grilled sausages or meat rather than as a main attraction on its own. Today it is a celebrated sight at village festivals and markets, lifted high from enormous pots, and is cherished as a symbol of Aubrac.
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