The Potato Gateau, also known as Gattò di patate, is a casserole made with mashed boiled potatoes mixed, according to the original Neapolitan recipe, with eggs, fiordilatte cheese, parmesan cheese, salame napoli, and smoked provola. The recipe for Potato Gateau is a single dish, with calorie-dense and nutritious portions. The interior of the Gattò di patate is soft and extremely stringy, while the outside is characterized by a delicious and crispy crust, thanks to the breadcrumbs. The Neapolitan Potato Gateau is highly appreciated in all Italian regions, and everyone makes it their way, for example, you can choose different types of cold cuts instead of salame napoli, to cater to your tastes and needs, for instance, cooked ham can be used instead. Let’s see how to make Potato Gateau according to the original Neapolitan recipe, and soon we will better explore lighter variations, such as the lactose-free, vegetarian, or vegan Gattò recipe.
The original recipe for Potato Gateau is French with a Neapolitan touch: the brief history of Gattò di patate
The Neapolitan Potato Gateau, which we call Gattò, contains a French term for a reason, but in Naples, it’s called Gattò, forget Gateau: it’s thanks to a culinary marriage that took place in the distant 1700s during the Kingdom of the two Sicilies. Queen Maria Carolina D’Asburgo, wife of Ferdinand I of Bourbon, brought some French cooks with her to Naples, whom she loved the cuisine of, in particular, she enjoyed the Potato Gateau. The original French recipe for Potato Gateau did not include cold cuts or cheeses other than groviera. The Neapolitan touch was to modify the recipe to enrich it a bit, by replacing groviera with fiordilatte (a fresh mozzarella with more milk inside) and then adding salame napoletano and cooked ham; cold cuts indeed give more character to the dish. This is why today we call Gateau, Gattò. Let’s see how to make the original recipe for this unique dish.
Gattò di Patate: the original Neapolitan recipe
Here’s the original Neapolitan recipe for Gattò di Patate: made according to ancient Neapolitan recipes, with a base of boiled potatoes enriched with eggs, fiordilatte cheese, smoked provola, pecorino cheese, cooked ham, and salame napoli, plus a thin layer of crispy breadcrumbs.
Potato Gateau – Original Neapolitan recipe for making Gattò
Other details
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
Ingredients to make Potato Gateau
- 1.2 kg Yellow-fleshed potatoes 2.6 lb
- 200 g Mozzarella cheese 7 oz
- 50 g Provola cheese 1.8 oz
- 40 g Neapolitan salami 1.4 oz
- 60 g Thickly sliced cooked ham (or already diced) 2.1 oz
- 3 Eggs
- 100 g Pecorino Romano cheese 3.5 oz
- 80 g Lard 2.8 oz
- as needed Butter curls
- 2 cucchiai di Chopped parsley 2 tbsp
- to taste Salt and black pepper
Ingredients for greasing the baking dish and for coating the surface
- 30 g Pecorino Romano 1.1 oz
- 20 g Breadcrumbs 0.7 oz
- as needed Extra virgin olive oil for greasing the baking dish
Instructions
How to make Potato Gateau
- Let's start preparing the Potato Gateau by boiling the potatoes in plenty of water with a pinch of salt. They will be cooked in about half an hour, and we can check their cooking by pricking them with a fork. If the potatoes are boiled, they become easy to prick. We immerse them in a bowl of cold water and peel them by pulling away the skin.
- Once boiled and peeled, potatoes must be immediately mashed and transferred to a bowl while still hot, so they crumble better, creating a homogeneous, almost creamy mixture.
- Cut the mozzarella fiordilatte into slices on a chopping board and let them sit in a colander to lose the excess milk; dice the cooked ham, salami, and provola. The diced meats should be about 1cm thick.
- At this point, take the bowl with the potatoes, add softened lard at room temperature, eggs, Pecorino Romano cheese, salami, provola, and cooked ham, also add a sprinkling of pepper, chopped parsley, and adjust the salt. Mix everything until you get a soft and uniform mixture.
- Grease the baking dish with extra-virgin olive oil, then coat it with breadcrumbs. Take a part of the Potato Gateau mixture and spread it on the bottom and walls of the baking dish. Fill it with slices of mozzarella fiordilatte, then cover it with the remaining Gattò mixture. Add a layer of breadcrumbs and butter curls on the surface. Prick the top with a fork and bake at 392°F for 40 minutes in a preheated oven. When the top is golden brown, it is ready to be removed from the oven. Serve it warm or cold, cut into slices.
Tips
This is a traditional recipe that refers to the ancient origins of the Potato Gateau; therefore, if you have become fond of cured meats other than Neapolitan salami and cooked ham in the 21st century, feel free to change the recipe to suit your taste: just as the Neapolitans did with the Potato Gateau and Gruyere cheese in the 1700s.Conservation
The Potato Gateau can be prepared up to ninety minutes in advance, or the potatoes may darken. If there is a portion leftover, you can store it in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap and then reheat it for 10 minutes (in a pan or in the microwave) before serving it again. It is not recommended to freeze.SHARE the original Neapolitan recipe for Potato Gateau or Gattò.
