Pommes Aligot Recipe
Published December 4, 2023. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Pommes Aligot Recipe is a delicious potato side dish loaded with cream, garlic, and cheeses to make an incredibly rich, cheesy, mashed potato dish. These will quickly become your and your family’s new favorite potato recipe.
I love the variety of potato side dishes but can get stuck in a rut by repeatedly making the same ones. If you’re the same way, try my Smashed Potatoes or Scalloped Potatoes.
Aligot
Pommes Aligot is a simple potato side dish of mashed potatoes with butter, cream, garlic, and cheese to give it a melted mozzarella-like viscosity and texture like fondue. The dish is said to have originated by monks feeding Christian pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The original dish would have been bread and cheese, but later upgraded with potatoes in the 1500s.
This dish can be an excellent side dish to any main protein entrée. Consider taking your simple mashed potatoes recipe to the next level by making these Pommes Aligot.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Potatoes – I used Yukon gold potatoes. However, you can use regular russet potatoes for this recipe.
- Cheese – The classic cheese to use is Tommé. You can also use just 1 or a combination of fontina, mozzarella, comté, or gruyere.
- Cream – You will need some heavy whipping cream. Substitute with half and half.
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter in my cooking and baking to control the sodium content and not a butter company.
- Garlic – You will need a few finely minced or grated garlic cloves. If fresh is not an option, substitute with 2 teaspoons of garlic granules or powder.
How to Make Aligot
Peel, quarter, and thickly slice the potatoes.
Add them to a medium-sized pot of boiling salted water.
In the meantime, shred the cheese or cheeses.
Once the potatoes are tender, drain them.
Transfer the drained potatoes to a food mill or ricer and mill the potatoes into the drained medium-sized pot.
Return the pot to the burner over low heat, add the butter, heated cream, garlic, and half of the shredded cheese, and vigorously stir using a wooden spoon or spatula.
Once the butter is melted, vigorously stir the remaining cheese until it becomes very stretchy, like mozzarella, when pulled on.
Adjust seasonings with coarse salt and ground white pepper.
Serve with no garnish in a bowl.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make these up to 1 hour ahead of time. Just keep covered and warm over very low heat.
How to Store: They can be stored in the refrigerator covered in plastic for up to 4 days. They can also be frozen and covered for up to 2 months. However, they will lose quite a bit of moisture and flavor if frozen.
How To Reheat: To reheat the pommes aligot, add your desired portion to a small saucepot with a bit of butter or milk and heat over low heat until hot.
Chef Notes + Tips
- Seasoning the boiling water should be as salty as the ocean.
- I always know when the potatoes are done. When I pierce them with a fork, I hold them up, and they slide right off.
More Potato Recipes
- Garlic Parmesan Potatoes
- Hasselback Potatoes
- Lyonnaise Potatoes
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potatoes
Pommes Aligot Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 ½ sticks softened unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups heated heavy whipping cream
- 4 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 1 ½ pounds shredded tommé, comté, gruyere, fontina, or mozzarella (or a combination of any of these)
- coarse salt and ground white pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel, quarter, and thickly slice the potatoes.
- Add them to a medium-sized pot of boiling salted water.
- In the meantime, shred the cheese or cheeses.
- Once the potatoes are tender, drain them.
- Transfer the drained potatoes to a food mill or ricer and mill the potatoes into the drained medium-sized pot.
- Return the pot to the burner over low heat and add in the butter, heated cream, garlic, and half of the shredded cheese. Vigorously stir using a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Once the butter is melted, vigorously stir in the remaining cheese until it becomes very stretchy, like mozzarella, when pulled on.
- Adjust seasonings with coarse salt and ground white pepper.
- Serve with no garnish in a bowl.
Delicious! Thank you for this recipe!
Tasty ChefBilly 😋😁
Thank you ChefBilly😋😁👋