Twice Baked Aligot
These are about as decadent as potatoes can get.
You'll need:
- Carnitas
- ~10 large Russet potatoes (for four people; there will be a lot of leftovers)
- ~5 oz black truffle goat cheese
- ~11 oz fresh Mozzarella
- ~8 oz Gruyère
- ~2 tbsp shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 8 oz sour cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cube (8 tbsp) butter
- 2 garlic cloves (if using pre-minced, about 1 tsp)
- 1 oz beef base
- Salt and pepper as needed
1. Baked Potato Skins prep.
So, first, take the two largest potatoes and set them aside. These will be the ones we bake, and their interior quantity will be leftover... So maybe you'll want to make hash browns tomorrow morning or something.
In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp butter with 1 oz of beef base and microwave for 15-20 seconds until pliable but not hot.
Poke holes in the potato, 6-8 times with a fork.
Rub the skins of the potatoes with the paste of beef base/butter and then liberally season with fresh ground sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
Into a pre-heated oven at 350° F for 75 minutes.
2. Mashed Potatoes.
Circle around the "waist" of each remaining potato once with a small knife, just enough to pierce the skin.
In a large pot, bring about 2" of water to a rolling boil then reduce to a simmer. Place a vegetable steaming tray into the pan, ensuring that the water isn't above the tray. Place the potatoes into the pot, and cover, simmering for 30 minutes.
Now, time to grate some cheese. I take the mozzarella slices, gruyère, and hunks of goat cheese and put them in and shred them simultaneously (I use a Westmark rotary cheese grater), manually removing the larger hunks of un-grated mozzarella and goat cheese and adding them to the total finished pile of cheese sitting on a big sheet of parchment or wax paper.
When potatoes are "done" like typical boiled potatoes prior to mashing (use the fork technique to check), drain pan into sink (away from you to keep from being steamed). Then, turn on the cold water, and picking up individual potatoes, manually "peel" them with your hands. When totally peeled, dice them into 1-2" cubes, then pass through a ricer or food mill. I use the same cheese grater I just used after a quick cleaning.
Now, take the original pot you used for steaming the potatoes and add all the grated potatoes back to it and stir in the heavy whipping cream, sour cream, garlic, and about half of the cheese (other than the Parmigiano-Reggiano.)
Mix it until smooth and creamy, then add the rest of the mozzarella/gruyère/goat cheese in and mix it up.
Pour into a casserole dish. Cover with the Parmigiano-Reggiano and toss it, uncovered, into the same oven as the baking potatoes for 15-20 minutes.
3. Basic Assembly.
Complete the final step of the carnitas, the frying, and set aside.
Remove the baked potatoes and turn off the oven but leave the mashed potatoes in the oven.
Slice in half, length-wise, then, using a large spoon (I use a citrus tea spoon for it's small cerrated edge), scoop out the contents of the baked potatoes, leaving four big empty shells. Be careful not to break the skins if possible.
Remove the mashed potatoes and stir the Parmigiano-Reggiano into them. Then scoop the aligot into the potato skins.
Top with carnitas.
Tasty Noms.