Potato gateau, or rather Neapolitan potato gattò, can be defined as a veritable savory tart with a melted center and a crunchy crust au gratin. It can be enjoyed as a single dish but also as a side dish or for an aperitivo – whichever way you choose it is lip-licking good! So, what’s its history and how do you make potato gateau? Let's go back to XVIII century and try the traditional recipe for potato gateau.
From gateau to gattò: the story of the potato gateau
It first appeared on the Neapolitan scene back in 1768 when Queen Maria Carolina of Habsburg, wife of Ferdinand I of Bourbon, called French cooks to the Kingdom of Naples to enjoy their delicacies. The so-called monsieurs, professional French cooks, were nicknamed monzù. Similarly, the Neapolitans took the gateau (which in French means cake) and transformed it into gattò; the French potato pie which originally contained a stringy center of Gruyere was instead filled with fior di latte and Neapolitan salami or cooked ham (or both).
How do you make potato gateau? Here’s a potato gateau recipe, just like it’s made in Naples, along with some variations.
Potato gateau – a traditional Neapolitan recipe
Ingredients:
2 lb potatoes
11 oz mozzarella
5 oz Neapolitan salami
2 oz grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 eggs
butter
milk
breadcrumbs
salt
pepper
Method:
To make potato gateau, first, boil the potatoes in boiling water with all the skin so they don't absorb too much water. Once they’re ready it will also be easy to peel them.
Pass the boiled peeled potatoes through a potato masher into a bowl.
Add a few tablespoons of milk to make the mixture creamier and add the eggs, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, salt, and pepper. Start mixing all the ingredients together, add the salami and mozzarella cut into cubes and continue mixing until you get a compact mixture.
Butter an oven mold and sprinkle it with plenty of breadcrumbs. Pour the mixture into the mold, level it out and sprinkle on the surface more breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and a few flakes of butter.
Bake at 400 °C in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes until nicely browned. Take the gateau out of the oven and serve it still hot!
Potato gateau: tips & variations
Potato gateau has many different recipes that have been handed down in each family. You can change the potato gateau recipe according to your tastes and fill it with whatever cold cuts or cheeses you have in the fridge. In Campania, the most popular choice for that strong taste is Neapolitan soppressata salami, scamorza cheese, and smoked provola cheese.
Which potatoes to use to make the perfect gattò? The advice is to use old yellow roasting potatoes to minimize the presence of starch. If the potatoes are too floury you can add more milk to the mixture, but some people also enrich it with plenty of butter.
Among the theories for a perfect potato gattò, there is also the one in the assembling of the components. Some mix all the ingredients together, distributing cheese and cold cuts evenly. Others, on the other hand, prefer to proceed in layers: half of the mixture is poured on the bottom of the pan and properly leveled, then a central layer is added with mozzarella, salami or cooked ham (and sometimes boiled eggs), finally the gateau with the last layer of potatoes. The filling will then be found in the center.