We were headed to the Argentat market, but Lilli dawdled,
so we had time only to hit the Super U for staples (sugar,
beer, Pepsi, chocolate) before meeting Jacquie and Ian before
a visit to their friends Nigel and Josephine. She is very
charming, and he doesn't appear as fearsome as his reputation.
Their house overlooking the Dordogne is wonderful, and Ian
is wondering how he can luck into something similar when the
time comes to retire (pretty soon, he hopes).

After which we decided to see if the weather was okay at the
Puy Mary, where the first time I went, it was breezy and cold
but with nice views, but two subsequent visits were beset by
rain and mist. A couple years ago I'd tried to show Swisher
the place, but there was nothing there - we could hardly see
arms' length, and it was a bit hairy getting down the twisty
road until we got below the fog, a couple thousand vertical
feet down. On this trip Swisher didn't have his phone and GPS
with him, and Lilli's didn't work. Luckily I'd borrowed Ian's
trusty Michelin atlas, which took us there with a relative
minimum of muss and fuss aside from a little uncertainty on
the outskirts of Aurillac.

The weather at the pass was breezy and in the 60s, with good
visibility. We figured to to stop for beers at the Chalet at the
head of the pass, which I swear the first time I was there it
wasn't.

The place commands terrific vistas over the countryside and
up to the Puy itself, 6 or 7 hundred feet of vertical that
none of us felt the need to conquer, though there were quite
a number of hikers in the midafternoon. The Chalet sells
walking sticks of various elaboratenesses at various prices.
The sight of the mountain right above does encourage one to
be a bit adventurous.

The beers were about the same price and quality that you'd get
in the big city, not bad for a tourist trap with a captive
audience. But suddenly I was feeling peckish, so we went inside to
the restaurant, where I ordered a full meal and the others various
snacks. The Planche de l'Estive is a pretty massive sampler plate:
two small beefsteaks, maybe 100 g each, a Salers from Boucherie
Lajarrige and a Fermier Aubrac de Maison Conquet. This came with
sauce bleu d'Auvergne, thankfully on the side - I did taste it,
and it was just as blue as imagined. Swisher may have used some
of it on his French fries, which were pretty good. Also on the
platter were servings of truffade, essentially a very cheesy
potato gratin, and aligot, a rather strange potato and cheese
specialty of the Auvergne, a recipe for which follows.

Also a pretty ordinary but not bad salad augmented with small
dice of poultry gizzard and some kind of pork product.

Swisher got a cone of fries, which filled the bill for him;
also more beer. Lilli's burger ordered medium-rare was well-done
but not well done, covered in an Indianish-spiced tomato ketchup,
which she didn't like and didn't go with her two glasses of vin
ordinaire anyway,

At length we moseyed back via an assortment of small towns;
luckily from the mountain to Argentat all we had to do was stay
on the D680, which turned into the D980. It was a no-brainer
except for one unmarked left turn that I remembered from long
ago - not only is it unmarked, there is (and was way back when)
a big pile of dirt and debris blocking the road for no apparent
reason; you have to go past the pile and make a blind left and go
around it, after which the road proceeds. Weirdness. We got back
to Forges shortly before dark and joined the Hoares in a snacky
little supper of leftovers and charcuterie. A bottle of
Bourgogne 12 from Valentin Vignot, a maker I was unfamiliar with,
was young and charming and went well with the charcuterie.

Pommes Aligot
Categories: Auvergnate, dairy, starch, side, French, Cantal
Yield: 4 servings

4 md Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2 lb), peeled and quartered
Kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 Tb unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c heavy cream, warmed
1 1/2 lb Tomme d'Auvergne, rind removed and cubed 1/2"
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the potatoes in a medium pot and add enough cold water
to cover by 2 in. Add enough salt so that the water tastes
salty like the ocean, and bring a boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes can
be easily pierced with a knife, about 15 min. Drain.

Immediately pass the potatoes through a food mill or ricer
and return them to the pot. Set the pot over low heat and
stir in the garlic, butter, cream and half the cheese
(3/4 lb Gruyÿre and 3/4 lb fresh mozzarella can be
substituted for Tomme d'Auvergne). Once the cheese has
melted, stir in the remaining cheese. Continue stirring
until the potatoes can be stretched with a spoon like
melted mozzarella. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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