Name: Italian Potato Cake
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Cuisine: ItalianEurope
Ingredients: 5 tablespoons unsalted butter , plus extra for greasing pan; 5 tablespoons plain bread crumbs; 3 pounds russet potatoes (about 6 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1 teaspoon table salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 3 large eggs; 1/4 pound thinly sliced salami , cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 6 ounces Italian fontina cheese , sliced thin; 1/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Why This Recipe Works

In this casserole, two layers of creamy mashed potatoes sandwich a rich filling of Italian cheeses and salami. We discovered a few ways to make this Italian Potato Cake recipe perfect. First, boiling the potatoes can cause them to cook unevenly or break apart: we gently simmered them until just tender before mashing. Adding eggs enriched the mashed potatoes and gave them a bit of structure so that the potato cake could be cut into clean slices. Buttering the springform pan and dusting it with breadcrumbs ensured that cake and pan separated easily. We also found it worthwhile to track down imported Italian fontina and Parmesan. The authentic cheese imparted a much richer, stronger flavor than any of the less expensive domestic versions.

Before You Begin

Cut the casserole into wedges and serve with a holiday dinner or brunch.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9-inch springform pan and sprinkle with 1/4 cup bread crumbs, shaking pan to distribute crumbs evenly.

Place potatoes in large pot and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring potatoes to boil over high heat, then lower heat to maintain gentle simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes, wipe pot dry, return potatoes to pot, and mash with 4 tablespoons butter until smooth. Stir in cream, salt, and pepper. Cool 5 minutes. Stir in eggs, one at a time.

Spoon half of potato mixture into prepared pan. Place slices of fontina over potatoes to cover surface and top cheese with salami pieces. Cover with remaining potatoes. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter and mix with remaining 1 tablespoon bread crumbs and Parmesan in small bowl. Sprinkle cheese mixture over top of casserole.

Bake until casserole is very hot and puffed and top is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Run paring knife around casserole to loosen. Cool for 10 minutes before unmolding. Serve hot.