Baked Potato Cake (Gatto' Di Patate)
Recipe By :Nancy Verde Barr
Serving Size : 8
2 pounds all-purpose potatoes -- peeled and quartered
1/4 pound unsalted butter
2 ounces Parmesan cheese -- freshly grated
2 ounces Romano cheese -- freshly grated
1/4 pound prosciutto -- chopped
2 large eggs -- lightly beaten
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 pound mozzarella cheese -- fresh, chopped
1/4 pound mozzarella cheese -- smoked, chopped (provola)
3 tablespoons olive oil
bread crumbs -- dried, from Italian bread
Put the potatoes in a pot with cold water and bring to a boil. Salt and cook until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain and put through a potato ricer or mash with a potato masher.
Cut 5 tablespoons butter into small pieces and add to the hot potatoes along with the Parmesan, pecorino, prosciutto, eggs, salt, pepper, and parsley. Blend together well.
Mix the mozzarella and provola with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
With one of the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square or round baking dish. Coat the bottom and sides completely with breadecrumbs. Spread 1/2 the potato mixutre in the bottom and up the sides of the prepared dish. Cover the potatoes with the seasoned cheeses. Cover with the remaining potatoes. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and dot with the last 2 tablespoons butter.
Place the "gatto" in 375 degree F oven 40 to 50 minutes, or until hot and slightly browned on top. Cool 15 minutes and unmold or serve directly from the dish.
Source:
"We Called It Macaroni"
NOTES : Although I have never encountered this dish in an Italian-American restaurant, I discovered that it was one that many people of Neapolitan backgrounds have maintained as part of their home cooking. In traditional Neapolitan cooking, it is most often seen as a first course. I prefer to serve it as a side dish especially on a buffet table. The recipe can be doubled or even tripled and may be assembled the day before and baked when ready to serve.
Recipe By :Nancy Verde Barr
Serving Size : 8
2 pounds all-purpose potatoes -- peeled and quartered
1/4 pound unsalted butter
2 ounces Parmesan cheese -- freshly grated
2 ounces Romano cheese -- freshly grated
1/4 pound prosciutto -- chopped
2 large eggs -- lightly beaten
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 pound mozzarella cheese -- fresh, chopped
1/4 pound mozzarella cheese -- smoked, chopped (provola)
3 tablespoons olive oil
bread crumbs -- dried, from Italian bread
Put the potatoes in a pot with cold water and bring to a boil. Salt and cook until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain and put through a potato ricer or mash with a potato masher.
Cut 5 tablespoons butter into small pieces and add to the hot potatoes along with the Parmesan, pecorino, prosciutto, eggs, salt, pepper, and parsley. Blend together well.
Mix the mozzarella and provola with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
With one of the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square or round baking dish. Coat the bottom and sides completely with breadecrumbs. Spread 1/2 the potato mixutre in the bottom and up the sides of the prepared dish. Cover the potatoes with the seasoned cheeses. Cover with the remaining potatoes. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and dot with the last 2 tablespoons butter.
Place the "gatto" in 375 degree F oven 40 to 50 minutes, or until hot and slightly browned on top. Cool 15 minutes and unmold or serve directly from the dish.
Source:
"We Called It Macaroni"
NOTES : Although I have never encountered this dish in an Italian-American restaurant, I discovered that it was one that many people of Neapolitan backgrounds have maintained as part of their home cooking. In traditional Neapolitan cooking, it is most often seen as a first course. I prefer to serve it as a side dish especially on a buffet table. The recipe can be doubled or even tripled and may be assembled the day before and baked when ready to serve.