Pnr Livradois Forez Jda4824 Photo J.damase
©Joël Damase

La patia, the Auvergne snack that goes with the body

The wind is blowing across the Livradois-Forez plains. This morning, frost covered the garden. The thermometer indicates winter temperatures and the nose is red as the cold settles in Auvergne. Time to prepare a comforting meal. A meal from the Forez mountains: patia. Firstly, to warm you up from the inside, and secondly, to enjoy a moment of gourmet fulfillment. The recipe is simple: potatoes, cream, butter, milk, garlic and seasoning. Look no further, you’ll find no excuse not to succumb.

The Patia recipe

Patia, which can also be pronounced in the feminine (la patia), is a widespread Auvergne speciality in the Forez mountains. It dates back to the Middle Ages, when families settled in the Hautes-Chaumes du Forez created Fourme d’Ambert. No blue-veined cheese in this recipe, however, but a key ingredient, also produced by Forez dairy cows: cream.

List of ingredients

-1 kg of good potatoes
(Bintje, Mona Lisa or Chérie)
-1 liter fresh cream
-75 g butter
-250 ml milk
-1 clove garlic
-salt and pepper

Step 1:

  • Choose your finest cast-iron casserole dish
    and rub the opened garlic clove along the side.
    Then grab your peeler,
    that everyday tool invented in Thiers,
    and peel your potatoes.
    Then dare to use a mandolin
    to slice potatoes (not your finger)
    or simply use your favorite knife.

Step 2:

  • Melt the butter in the casserole dish.
    Then plunge the potatoes into it
    and sauté for a few moments.
    Add the crème fraîche and milk.
    And here's the secret to this gourmet recipe:
    simmer over a low heat for 3 hours.
    Then the magic happens.

Step 3:

  • A quarter of an hour before the end of cooking time, season with salt and pepper to taste. To finish, if you'd like your patia to have a gratin effect, put it in the oven for a few minutes on the grill setting.

    Enjoy warm, in the warmth of your warmest friends and family. To conclude: green salad and local charcuterie go well with patia.

In summer, patia can also be enjoyed at altitude at the Jasserie du Coq Noir. Reservations required.

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