Stretchy Potato Cake with Scamorza and Pancetta

The stretchy potato cake with scamorza and pancetta is a rich and flavorful dish, perfect for a comforting meal. Here’s how to prepare it.

Ingredients

• 500 g of potatoes
• 150 g of smoked scamorza cheese
• 100 g of diced pancetta
• 2 eggs
• 50 ml of milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A pinch of nutmeg
• Butter for greasing the molds
• Breadcrumbs for sprinkling the molds

Preparation

1. Start by peeling the potatoes and slicing them thinly. Boil them in salted water until they become soft.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, fry the diced pancetta until they are crispy and golden. Set them aside on paper towels.
3. Drain the potatoes and mash them with a potato masher or a fork, add the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Stir to obtain a homogeneous mixture.
4. Cut the smoked scamorza cheese into cubes.
5. Take some oven molds (or a muffin pan), grease with a bit of butter, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
6. Pour a first layer of the potato mixture into the molds, add some cubes of scamorza and a bit of pancetta.
7. Cover with another layer of the potato mixture, making sure to seal the layers around the scamorza and pancetta well.
8. Optionally sprinkle with more breadcrumbs and a few flakes of butter to gratinate on top.
9. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 °C for approximately 20 minutes or until the surface becomes golden and crispy.
10. Let it rest a few minutes before unmolding the cakes.

Before serving, you can garnish the cakes with some of the remaining crispy pancetta as a final touch for a more inviting presentation. And if you like experimenting, you can vary the cheese or add some aromatic herbs to make each cake a unique experience.

Curiosity

The smoked scamorza cheese, with its characteristic flavor, pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the potatoes and the strong taste of the pancetta. This cheese, thanks to its excellent melting qualities, makes the cake particularly appetizing and pleasant to the palate.