Ever had mashed potatoes and thought, These could use a whole lot of cheese? This dish is for you.
My mother and I recently visited relatives who live just south of Toulouse, France, in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains. While there, we ate aligot, a decadent mashed-potato dish with enough cheesy goodness to have an impressive cheese pull. I immediately knew that I wanted to re-create it at home.
Aligot is a peasant dish dating back to the 18th century. Traditionally, it’s made with tomme de Savoie, a cheese that’s hard to find in the U.S. Good replacements include Gruyère, Comté and raclette, often mixed with some mozzarella to increase the stretchy cheese-pull factor.
Aligot is often served as a side for sausages or other meat. It keeps well in the fridge for three to four days and freezes well. Once wrapped tightly and frozen, it can last for three to four months, if you can leave it that long. Leftovers are spectacular when formed into patties, breaded and pan-fried — we really liked the resulting aligot cakes alongside eggs.
Using a potato ricer helps make the texture smooth and silky. If you don’t have one, you can use a food mill or try pressing the potatoes through a colander. If you don’t mind some chunks, you could use a potato masher, but I particularly like the smoother texture for this dish.
It takes some arm strength to stir in the cheese, but the result is more than worth it. Cheese up your potato game and enjoy!
The original print version of this article was headlined “Cheesy Mashed Potatoes | Warm up in winter with a traditional French comfort food”
This article appears in Kids VT Winter • 2026.
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