Gatto

A great Neapolitan dish and an example of the influence high French cooking had on grand Neapolitan kitchens in the eighteenth century. The name is a bastardised version of ‘gateaux’, and this is a rare southern Italian dish in which potatoes are the star, alongside massive amounts of butter and cheese. A little salami, too. It can be served as a side dish, but really it’s a dish unto itself.

Boil the potatoes in salted water until just soft, then drain and leave in the colander for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to fan 200°C/400°F/Gas 9. Butter a 23cm/ 9-inch springform cake tin and coat with half the breadcrumbs, tipping out any excess.

Pass the potatoes through a ricer or mouli (you can’t just mash here) into a large bowl and mix with the Parmesan, pecorino, soppressata, egg, parsley and salt. Heat the milk over a low heat, add a quarter of the butter and, when it melts, pour into the potato mixture and stir firmly, but not too brutally.

Ladle two-thirds of the mixture into the prepared tin and gently smooth with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

Sprinkle with the mozzarella, keeping it away from the edge. Top with the remaining potato mixture and use a fork to mark a pattern on top. Sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs and dot with little shards of the remaining butter.

Bake for 30 minutes, until golden. Leave to stand for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the inside of the tin, turn out onto a board and hew into fat slices.