Gateau di Patate

Rich and really delicious — a wonderful crowd pleaser. This a direct re-print of the recipe given by Giada De Laurentiis on her show which honored what would have been her father Dino’s 100th birthday. This was a favorite of his, and she shared the recipe with all of us!

As soon as I saw her making this, I knew I would have to try it right away! Her original recipe says this makes 8 servings, but it is very rich and you could definitely serve twice as many guests with one of these.

I already had a spring-form pan, so I was all set there but could not find my potato ricer. Instead, I just mashed the potatoes as I would have done for making regular mashed potatoes and it was just fine.

There are a few steps to follow, and a little special equipment, but this makes a beautiful presentation and you will definitely WOW your guests.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus 4 tablespoons
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, divided
• 2 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the water
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons for the water
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, divided
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 pound chopped finocchiona, chopped
• 1/2 pound smoked provolone or smoked mozzarella, grated or diced

Method:

1 Special equipment: a potato ricer

2 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the inside of a 9-inch spring form pan with 1 teaspoon of the butter. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs and rotate the pan to coat the bottom and the sides completely. Set aside.

3 Put the potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Season the water well with salt and 2 tablespoons butter and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer until cooked through and easily pierced with the tip of knife, about 15 minutes. Drain well.

4 In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining stick of butter. In a large bowl combine the melted butter, sour cream, 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Mix well with a rubber spatula.

5 Using a ricer, rice the cooked potatoes over the sour cream mixture. Use the rubber spatula to combine well. Add the beaten eggs and stir to combine.

Scoop half of the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the finocchiona evenly over potato mixture and top with the provolone. Scoop the remaining potato mixture on top and spread evenly. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano and top with the remaining 5 teaspoons of butter. Bake until hot all the way through and golden brown on top, about 45 minutes. Allow the gateau to rest for 15 minutes before unmolding and serving.

TIP: Make sure to put a sheet pan underneath the springform pan, because melted butter WILL seep out while baking, and you will have a real mess in the oven if you don’t have a sheet pan underneath!