Gateau di patate is a delicious dish made with potatoes and various cold cuts. A pie to be baked with an irresistible golden crust that will guarantee you a succulent meal. This famous and ancient dish is a cornerstone of Neapolitan cuisine and then revisited in other regions of southern Italy. However, gateau di patate, Italianized as gattò or gatò, made its appearance on the luxurious tables of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies only towards the end of the 1700s. In fact, the refined palate of Queen Maria Carolina of Habsburg, wife of Ferdinand I of Bourbon, did not want to part with the delicacies of the monsieurs – the French cooks – called to the court of the Kingdom of Naples. So the Neapolitan people learned the technique and made it their own. They substituted groviera with fior di latte, and then enriched the pie with cooked ham and salami. And not only that. Even the name soon passed from gateau di patate to gattò… and even the monsieurs did not escape the Neapolitan fantasy, becoming the “monzù”! Every family hands down its version of this irresistible pie, and so we have also decided to share with you the recipe for gateau di patate made by Chef Roberto Di Pinto!
Gateau di patate
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients for a 20×20 cm baking dish
Yellow-fleshed potatoes 500g
Fiordilatte 100g
Neapolitan salami 50g
Cooked ham in a thick slice 50g
Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (24 months) 2 tablespoons
Eggs 2
Extra virgin olive oil q.b.
Black pepper q.b.
Fine salt q.b.
Gateau di patate calories
Difficulty: Easy
Preparation: 30 min
Cooking time: 1 h 10 min
Servings: 6 people
Cost: Low
Note: +1 hour to drain the mozzarella
Gateau di patate PREPARATION
How to prepare gateau di patate:
To prepare the gateau di patate, start by boiling the potatoes. To do this, rinse them and transfer them to a large pot, covering them with plenty of cold water. Put the pot on the heat and, as soon as the water starts boiling, count about 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Do the fork test to make sure they are actually cooked: if the tines easily reach the center of the tubers, then they are ready. Drain the potatoes and start peeling them while they are still hot, using a small knife to avoid burning yourself. Finally, mash them immediately in a bowl: hot potatoes break down more easily and will not have lumps.
Meanwhile, cut the mozzarella into cubes and place it in a strainer to drain some excess whey. You can alternatively squeeze it using a clean cloth. Cut the Neapolitan salami into roughly 1 cm cubes, and do the same with the slice of cooked ham. Then take the mashed potatoes and add the eggs, a sprinkle of black pepper, salt, a drizzle of oil, and the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Mix the ingredients, and when the mixture is well blended, add the ham and Neapolitan salami cubes. Then, add the drained mozzarella and combine all the ingredients.
At this point, oil a square 20×20 cm baking dish and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs. Move the dish around to make sure the breadcrumbs are evenly distributed over the entire surface. Then pour the mixture into the dish, using a spatula to level it. Sprinkle the surface with breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, and a bit more oil. Bake in a preheated static oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes. Once ready, your gateau di patate will be steaming and inviting to be served!
Storage:
You can store the gateau di patate, already cooked, and then reheat it as needed. It is not recommended to prepare it too many hours in advance before cooking, as the mixture could darken. Freezing is also not recommended.
A tip:
Never has it been more useful to embrace the famous popular theory of “you get what you put in”, so go wild using cold cuts and cheeses to your liking. If the potatoes you used turn out too floury, you can thin the mixture with a little milk, as according to Neapolitan tradition.