Potato gateau

Name: Potato gateau
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Yellow potatoes old 4.4 lbs; Prosciutto cotto (a thick slice) 8.8 oz; Mozzarella di bufala cheese smoked (or Campania provola) 250; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese to grate 2.5 oz; Eggs medium 3; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Breadcrumbs to taste; Butter to taste

it es br de fr

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Serving: 6 persone
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

The potato gateau is a succulent potato pie with an irresistible golden crust! This famous and ancient dish is a staple of Neapolitan cuisine which was later revisited in other regions of southern Italy. However, it is said that the recipe comes from France... in fact, the potato gateau made its appearance on the luxurious tables of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies towards the end of the 1700s: the refined palate of Queen Maria Carolina of Austria, wife of Ferdinand I of Bourbon, did not want to part with the delicacies of the French chefs, called "monsieurs", whom she invited back to the court of the Kingdom of Naples for her wedding banquet. Thus, the Neapolitan people learned the technique of this delicious potato casserole and made it their own by replacing the Gruyère with mozzarella (specifically smoked buffalo mozzarella, also known as provola campana), and enhancing it with the addition of cured meats like cooked ham or Neapolitan salami. Not only that: the name soon changed from gateau to gattò, or gatò, and even the "monsieurs" didn’t escape Neapolitan creativity, becoming the "monzù"! Every family passes down its version of this typical preparation made of boiled potatoes and here we propose ours, obviously always characterized by the essential golden crust... let us know if you enjoyed it and share with us your home recipe!

Try these delicious gateau variations too:

Potato gateau with salami
Zucchini gateau with a gooey center
Potato gattò with soppressata and smoked provola
Potato gateau with pumpkin and taleggio
Potato gattò with sausage and mushrooms
Potato and ham cake
Ligurian meatloaf

INGREDIENTS

for a 30x22 cm baking dish: Yellow potatoes 4.4 lbs (1.5 kg) - old; Prosciutto cotto 8.8 oz (250 g) - (a thick slice); Mozzarella di bufala cheese 250 - smoked (or Campania provola); Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 2.5 oz (70 g) - to grate; Eggs 3 - medium; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

for the baking dish and the surface: Breadcrumbs to taste; Butter to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Potato gateau

To prepare the potato gateau, start with the potatoes: place them in a large pot and cover with plenty of water 1. From the moment it starts boiling, let them cook for about 40-50 minutes or until you can easily pierce the center with a fork 2. Drain the potatoes and mash them while still hot: cut them in half and place them skin-side up inside a potato ricer 3.

Mash them 4 and gradually remove the skin that will stick to the ricer. While the potatoes cool down, cut the cooked ham 5 and the smoked provola 6 into cubes of about 1.5 cm (approximately 0.6 inches).

Once the mashed potatoes have cooled down, add the eggs and grated cheese 7, the cubes of ham and smoked mozzarella 8, salt and pepper 9.

Knead by hand until all the ingredients are well mixed 10; if necessary, adjust the consistency by adding more milk if it’s too dry, or more grated cheese if it’s too moist. Butter a 12x9 inch baking dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs 11. Then transfer the potato gateau inside and level the surface 12.

Sprinkle the surface with more breadcrumbs and abundant butter flakes 13. Bake in a preheated static oven at 392°F (200°C) for about 40 minutes, then turn on the grill and let it brown further for another 5 minutes 14. Take your potato gateau out of the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving it 15!

Storage

The potato gateau can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

You can also freeze it either cooked or uncooked: in both cases, just let it thaw overnight in the fridge.

Tip

The potato gateau is a dish that easily transforms into a fridge-clear-out: if you have other cheeses or cold cuts, even if not cubed, it's the time to use them to make the dish even richer!

If you prefer, you can replace Parmesan with Pecorino, or cooked ham with Neapolitan salami.

In some versions, a bit of chopped parsley is added, which gives freshness and strongly resembles Neapolitan croquettes.

Curiosity

Potatoes stored in a cool, dark place, after 2-3 months from harvest, can already be defined as old potatoes. They appear a bit dusty, the flesh is no longer smooth but slightly wrinkled and thick. They are the perfect type for mash, gnocchi, and potato gateau because they have lost part of their moisture content, resulting in a more compact structure with a higher starch concentration, making them ideal for mashing.

A traditional potato gateau is prepared with potatoes native to Campania, like those from Camposano, or from the nearby Avezzano (Abruzzo)!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.