Sweet Potato Aligot with Fried Sage
Sweet Potato Aligot with Fried Sage
This recipe comes from Melissa Clark’s cook book, Dinner in French. “This is a very American version of Pommes Aligot, sweet potatoes stand in for the regular potatoes, which makes the whole thing richer and autumnal.”
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- Fine sea salt, as needed
- Grapeseed, olive, or sunflower oil, as needed
- 1 small bunch large sage leaves
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 spring fresh thyme or lemon thyme
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated or minced
- Large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 cups (8 ounces) grated Comté
- 5 ounces Saint-Nectaire or Tomme de Savoie cheese, rind removed, cubed
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Put the sweet potatoes in a pot of heavily salted water, making sure they are covered by at least an inch of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes, but don’t wash out the pot; you’ll need it later.
- While the potatoes are boiling, fry the sage leaves; Line a plate with a paper towel. In a smaller skillet, heat ¼ inch of oil. Add the sage leaves, a few at a time, and fry until they are golden and crisp, usually 1 minute or so. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with the remaining sage leaves, adding more oil to the skillet if needed.
- In a small pot, bring the cream and the thyme sprig to a simmer over medium heat. Remove the pot from the heat, cover it, and set aside until needed.
- Transfer the cooked potatoes to a food processor and pulse until mashed. (Or you can pass the potatoes through a food mill or a large-mesh sieve to mash them.)
- Return the potatoes to the pot and set it over low heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir the butter, garlic, and nutmeg until the butter is melted.
- Remove the thyme spring from the cream. Stir the cream into the potatoes. Then stir in all the cheese a handful at a time, until the aligot is melted and stretchy. Season with more salt if needed and serve immediately, topped with the fried sage leaves and freshly ground pepper.
Notes
Variation:
Classic Pommes Aligot
Use russet potatoes in place of sweet potatoes, increase the cream to ½ cup and eliminate sage leaves.
Reprinted from Dinner in French © 2020 by Katie Melissa Clark Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Photographs by Ed Anderson. Photograph copyright © 2020 by Laura Edwards.
Classic Pommes Aligot
Use russet potatoes in place of sweet potatoes, increase the cream to ½ cup and eliminate sage leaves.
Reprinted from Dinner in French © 2020 by Katie Melissa Clark Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Photographs by Ed Anderson. Photograph copyright © 2020 by Laura Edwards.
The Winter 2024 edition of Comté News is now available!
