One of the things I love most about life is the ability to try new foods. I never knew that potato cake casserole was an Italian dish! Actually, it’s a classic Italian dish meaning that they have been making it in Italy for a really long time. Now, don’t let my photo fool you, this potato cake has chopped up meat in it but it’s cut so fine you can really see it. Trust me, it’s in there, though. I love how this meal looks like an actual cake.
I would take this potato cake casserole for my birthday over a chocolate cake any day haha! Talk about a hot and hearty meal filled with all sorts of yummy and wholesome ingredients.
Ingredients
For the ‘cake’:
1 kg (2 lbs) potatoes suitable for mashing
4 eggs
75g (3 oz) Kerrygold butter
75g (3 oz) freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
A few sprigs of parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Milk (if needed)
For the filling:
100-150g (4 oz) of mixed cured meats, such as cooked ham and salami, cut into very small cubes
100-150g (4 oz) of cheeses such as smoked scamorza and mozzarella, sliced or cut into small cubes
For molding and baking:
Butter
4C Breadcrumbs
Instructions
Steam (or boil) the potatoes until they are fully tender, about 20-30 minutes depending on the size and quality of the potato. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and run them through a food mill or potato ricer into a large bowl, as if you were making mashed potatoes. Add the butter, grated cheese, seasonings and whole eggs. You can also add, as pictured, the cured meats to this mixture.
Mix everything very well until the butter is melted and the other ingredients well incorporated. If the mixture is too stiff to work with, add a bit of milk, a few drops at a time, until you have the texture you want.
Now grease the bottom and sides of an 8″ cake pan (or casserole) with the butter and line completely it with breadcrumbs.
Spread out half the mashed potato mixture on the bottom of the pan, then arrange the cheese and (if you have not added them to the potato mixture) the cured meats on top.
Add the other half of the mashed potato mixture on top of the filling and even it out so that the surface is nice and flat. (This is an operation best accomplished with your hands—just don’t let any of your dinner guests see you…) Top the whole thing with more breadcrumbs and a few nobs of butter here and there.
Bake in a moderate oven (180C/350F) for about 30-45 minutes, until the gattò is cooked through and golden brown. (If the top is not quite browned enough, you can raise the heat for a few minutes before removing from the oven.)
Let the potato cake cool off for a good 20 minutes or so before serving. Unmold the gattò if you baked it in a cake pan, and serve it just like a cake. If you baked it in a casserole, just bring it to the table and serve.
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Quick Tip: Serve this delicious baked potato cake casserole with a sprinkling of hot sauce or ketchup.
Good recipes ….send me all please.