American

Fried Pommes Aligot Balls with Bacon

by:
November 14, 2022
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Fried Pommes Aligot Balls with Bacon
Photo by Daddy_Chef_Dodododododo
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 35 minutes
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

Pommes Aligot is a mashed potato dish that has so much cheese added to them that they start to stretch just like melted cheese. This was a dish that I once saw on Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate. When I tried the dish at the restaurant that was mentioned, I fell in love. It didn't seem possible to make this recipe even better than it was, until my wife came up with the idea of using the pommes aligot for fried mashed potato balls! I hope you enjoy as much as we did. —Daddy_Chef_Dodododododo

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 pounds Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
  • 2 pieces Garlic, 1 whole and 1 minced
  • 2 sprigs Thyme
  • 8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cut into 1 tbsp cubes
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • 4 ounces Gruyere Cheese, shredded
  • 4 ounces Fontina Cheese, shredded
  • 4 ounces Swiss Cheese, shredded
  • 4 pieces Bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 3 Eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
  • Vegetable Oil, for frying
  • 1/2 cup Sliced Almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
  • Hot Honey, for drizzling
Directions
  1. Make the potatoes a few hours before you are ready to make this recipe. Place the potatoes and the whole garlic clove in a large pot. Cover with cold water, at least two inches above the potatoes. Salt the water. Add the two sprigs of thyme. Bring the water to a boil. When it comes to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a knife.
  2. Strain the potatoes. Remove the thyme. Run the potatoes through a potato ricer back into the pot. As you are adding the potatoes to the pot, add a couple of cubes of butter each time.
  3. Add the minced garlic to the potatoes. Turn the heat on low. Stir with a spatula until the butter and garlic is combined.
  4. Add the heavy cream. Cook the potatoes for about 3 minutes while stirring, until the mixture becomes thick and sticky.
  5. Add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring until it is fully melted before adding the next handful. Continue stirring until the potatoes become thick and silky. You want them to be able to stretch, just like melted cheese would.
  6. Let potatoes cool in the fridge for 3-4 hours. You want them to harden up a little so that they will be easier to work with when forming the balls.
  7. Fill one bowl up with beaten eggs and one bowl up with the panko bread crumbs. Add garlic powder to the bread crumbs. Put the crumbled bacon into the potato mixture and stir.
  8. Scoop out an equal amount of potatoes and form them into balls. (I used an ice cream scoop to help with the consistency of the size). Place each ball in the egg, and then roll it around in the bread crumbs until it is fully covered. It is important that they are fully covered or the mashed potatoes will leak out when they are being fried.
  9. Heat oil to 375°. I used a deep fryer, but you can fill a pan with a couple of inches of vegetable oil. If you are using the pan, you will have to flip the ball over halfway through. Fry the balls for 3 minutes, or until they develop a nice golden brown color.
  10. When removing the balls, you need to be delicate as they can fall apart. I let them cool a bit before removing them with my hand.
  11. When plating, I put 3 balls on each plate and drizzled them with the hot honey. Then you can finish them off with some toasted almonds.
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