Le Gratin Auvergnat

Another version from the Haut-Languedoc, in which the chestnuts are left whole in the liquid, is further heightened by the addition of bitter chocolate and a little sugar. This is not as exotic as it sounds because chocolate is traditional in Catalan and Basque cookery, both of which have had some influence in the Languedoc.

As a vegetable, mashed chestnuts were undoubtedly the precursor of mashed potatoes. The following purée combines the two, mixing the sweetness of the nuts with