Aligot Recipe

Prepare and boil potatoes

Peel the potatoes and cut into even 1–1.5 inch cubes so they cook uniformly. Place potatoes in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover by about 1 inch (about 2 liters). Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Bring to a vigorous simmer over high heat, then reduce to maintain a gentle boil. Cook until potatoes are very tender and fall apart when pierced with a fork, about 15–20 minutes depending on size.

Warm dairy and infuse garlic

While potatoes cook, combine whole milk, heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of the unsalted butter in a small saucepan. Add the peeled garlic cloves whole. Warm gently over low heat until butter melts and mixture is hot but not boiling, about 5 minutes, to infuse garlic. Keep warm on the lowest heat. Remove and discard garlic cloves (or mince and reserve for extra garlic flavor if desired).

Reserve some starchy cooking liquid: before draining, scoop out and reserve about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the potato cooking water and set aside. Drain potatoes thoroughly in a colander.

Dry and mash potatoes

Return drained potatoes to the still-warm pot over very low heat for 1–2 minutes to evaporate excess moisture, shaking the pot gently. Remove from heat. Use a potato ricer or food mill fitted with medium holes to rice the potatoes into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or casserole. If you don’t have a ricer, use a fine-mesh potato masher and work quickly to avoid gluey texture.

Incorporate butter and warm dairy

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons unsalted butter to the riced potatoes and stir briefly to melt. Gradually pour the warm milk/cream mixture into the potatoes while stirring with a wooden spoon. If the mixture seems too stiff, add 1–2 tablespoons of the reserved potato cooking water to loosen. The goal is a smooth, velvety mashed potato base before adding cheese.

Add cheeses and create aligot pull

Return the potato-dairy mixture to gentle low heat or keep over the lowest burner. Begin adding the grated Gruyère and mozzarella in three additions: add one-third of the cheeses and stir vigorously until fully combined and slightly melted; repeat with the next two additions. Use a long wooden spoon or spatula and stir with a rhythmic folding and pulling motion. The heat and gradual incorporation will melt the cheeses and develop the characteristic elastic, stringy texture. If the mixture becomes too stiff, add 1 tablespoon of reserved cooking water or warm milk at a time until the right pulling consistency is reached. Continue stirring for about 5–8 minutes total until the aligot is glossy, smooth, and stretchy.

Season the finished aligot with salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste, and the optional pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve

Spoon the aligot into a warmed serving dish. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon and, if desired, make a figure-eight motion with the spoon to demonstrate pull. Drizzle with extra melted butter and sprinkle chopped chives on top. Serve immediately while hot and elastic.