Potato gateau – Italian recipe (VIDEO)

Hello from Cucina con noi; today we will prepare the potato gateau. The ingredients we need for 4 to 6 portions are: 1 kilo of white pulp potatoes, 50-100 grams of milk (the quantity will depend on how floury the potatoes are), 2 eggs, 120 grams of mozzarella cheese, 120 grams of smoked provola cheese, 70 grams of Grana or parmesan grated cheese, 60 grams of butter, 2 or 3 spoonfuls of bread crumbs, 140 grams of ham steak, salt, white pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Let’s start with the potatoes: we put them in a pot filled with cold water and we let them cook. It can take 40 or 50 minutes: it depends on the size of the potatoes. In the meantime, we cut into small cubes the mozzarella, the provola cheese and the ham./ Once the potatoes are cooked, we drain and peel them and, while they are still warm, we press them with a potato masher. We add two thirds of the butter and the grana cheese, leaving apart two spoonfuls of them which we’ll use for the gateau topping. We add the warm milk and we amalgamate the mixture./ We combine salt, pepper, nutmeg and finally the eggs. We have to obtain a mixture with this consistency. At this point, after greasing with butter an oven pan, we sprinkle it with the bread crumbs, removing the surplus of it. Now let’s start putting together the gateau: we place a first layer of mashed potatoes on the base of the pan, then we distribute over the potatoes half of the mozzarella, provola and ham./ Then we place another layer of potatoes. To make this operation easier I put the mixture in a pastry bag./ Let’s go on with another layer of ham and cheese and finally with a last one of mashed potatoes. Now we sprinkle the gateau surface with the remaining grated cheese, a little of bread crumbs and a knob of butter. A variation of the gateau would be obtained combining together the ham and the cheese into the potato mixture. If you want, you can use single portion moulds. The gateau must bake at 180 Celsius degrees for 35-40 minutes; if you choose the small moulds, it takes less time. Now our gateau is ready. It must rest for 10 minutes before serving it. You can serve it directly in the oven pan or on a serving dish. The potato gateau can be prepared in advance and it is excellent also if served cold. Greetings from Sonia, see you to the next recipe.