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.
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Stovetop
- Saucepan
- Ricer (or Potato Masher)
- Cheese Grater (not optional)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes mashed
- 6 tbsp. butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced or zested
- 3/4 c. heavy whipping cream (or Greek yogurt or crème fraîche)
- 6 oz. gruyère
- 16 oz. 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.