Aligot (pronounced, a-li-ɡo, like alligator, without the at- and -r) is a French dip made with mashed potatoes and cheese. "Mashed potatoes" is really kind of a misnomer, though. It's really more like a fondue with a hint of potatoes. The more typical French recipe tends to use fresh tomme or Cantal cheese. Although you can substitute a mix of mozzarella (either fresh or low moisture) and gruyère. You can substitute a multitude of melting cheeses, including Comté, Emmentaler, Swiss, and even cheddar cheese.
I live in Wisconsin. Wisconsin may herald itself as the cheese capital of the United States. And, while cheese does have a culture of its own and fried cheese curds truly are the best thing that I've ever eaten? I've never even seen one of the French cheeses that they recommend. I'm a frequent purveyor of specialty cheese shops. I've even lived on the West Coast in a more niche cheese part of the United States. And I've still never come across one of these cheeses. Some cheeses are just difficult to get in other parts of the globe. Luckily that's fine! You really just want a semi-soft to semi-hard cheese that will melt well.
Some elbow grease and rapid whisking also help give aligot its stringy cheesy goodness.
Aligot meant as a hearty dish for weary travelers. It's a silky, creamy, cheesy potato mixture pairs well with sausage. Although you can eat it with anything that you'd typically eat with fondue or Thanksgiving dinner. Bread, apples, and
Do You Need a Ricer or Other Specialty Equipment?
The potatoes in aligot are typically pressed through a ricer or fine metal sieve. Some people will claim that this is absolutely essential. If you've ever over-whipped mashed potatoes, though? You'd know that achieving a creamy consistency isn't the most difficult thing in the world. I've made smoother potatoes with a potato masher than I did pressing them through a ricer. I am always excited to use seldomly utilized kitchen utensils! So, I did use a ricer for the potatoes hot off of the stove. Lumpy aligot is still absolutely delicious, though. If you don't have a ricer, don't let that stop you from making this dish.
There's also a wide range of aligot recipes out there. I've seen it look like anything from porridge to fondue all in the same article. From my understanding, this has much to do with how much cheese you add. It tends to start around a 1:1 ratio of lbs. of potatoes to lbs. of cheese with about 1 c. of heavy whipping cream or crème fraîche per 1.5-2 lbs. of potatoes. This is the kind of recipe where you can just kind of wing it if you have an abundance of potatoes and cheese. As long as it looks and tastes good to you, have fun with it!
Gallery
I ended up making a VERY large batch and breaking it up into smaller amounts to mix in the cheese. You can double or triple the recipe in a large pot, rather than breaking it up. I wanted some aligot with slightly less cheese in it to use for Shepherd's Pie w/ Venison & Gruyère Aligot. So, if my quantities don't look exactly like yours, it's because they aren't! Although the proportions are still going to make an end product that should look similar to this. You can mix in more potatoes or more cheese to taste, though.
Also, photographing the "stringiness of cheese" is kind of an odd thing to do. But you're looking for a consistency where the cheese holds its shape when pulled.
Aligot (Mashed Potatoes w/ Cheese)
Aligot is a French mashed potato w/ cheese. I used Yukon gold potatoes, butter, heavy whipping cream, garlic, gruyère, and mozzarella. Although you can mix and match both the potatoes and the cheese. I'd recommend a starchy potato and a stringy cheese. The more typical French recipe tends to use fresh tomme or Cantal cheese. Although you can substitute a mix of mozzarella (either fresh or low moisture) and a multitude of melting cheeses, including Comté, Emmentaler, Swiss, and even cheddar cheese.
3/4c.heavy whipping cream(or Greek yogurt or crème fraîche)
6oz.gruyère
16oz.mozzarella
Instructions
Boil Potatoes
Peel and dice potatoes. They should be able an inch thick.
Place in a large pot and cover with 2 inches of water.
Bring to a boil over high heat.
Boil for 10-15 minutes, or until tender. You should be able to stick a fork in them and have it break in two pieces. They're not quite cooked if the fork comes out cleanly. And they're overdone if it breaks apart completely, instead of just in half.
Drain and let cool slightly, just enough to be able to handle the potatoes.
Mash Potatoes
Put potatoes through a potato ricer.You don't necessarily need a potato ricer. You can mash the potatoes with a mixer. You're going to want the potatoes as smooth as possible without turning it into porridge. So, skip the fork or potato masher, unless that's your only option!
Mix in Cheese
Place the potatoes back in the pot, or in a large saucepan, add butter, garlic, and about half of the heavy whipping cream.
Bring the mixture up to medium-low heat and start mixing in the grated cheeses. Alternate with a little bit of cheese and a little bit of cream until they're fully incorporated. You're looking for a stringy consistency where the cheese mixture stretches without breaking.
Serve
Serve immediately. Aligot can be reheated. Although it can help to add additional cream and/or cheese when reheating. You'll also need to reheat very slowly in order to keep the mixture from breaking.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
The cheese that you add can vary depending on the flavor profile that you're looking for or what cheese you have on hand. Just make sure to add about 1.5 pounds of cheese total.
Leave a Reply