Southern Italian potato pie

New potatoes are abundant at this time of year and as well as being great boiled, they also bake very well. This layered potato pie will draw all the family round the table …

IT128.p085

Serves 2 – Preparation 15 minutes – Cooking 35 minutes

Ingredients

450g new potatoes, scrubbed

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 onions, peeled, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled, crushed

110g flat mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

110g mozzarella cheese, sliced

15g breadcrumbs

1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

handful of torn fresh basil leaves

50g freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Method

Slice the potatoes into 5mm thick slices. Cook in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain then push through a sieve.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Gas Mark 6. While the potatoes cook, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onions and fry for 5-10 minutes until golden. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the mozzarella cheese. In a shallow ovenproof dish, sprinkle over half the breadcrumbs. Add a layer of mushrooms, sprinkle over half the parsley and basil and add a layer of mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and potatoes. Repeat these layers, finishing with a layer of potatoes. Sprinkle over the remaining breadcrumbs.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve straight from the oven.