Potato Cake with Cotechino Ragù Heart

The potato cake with cotechino ragù heart is a rich and hearty dish that combines the softness of potatoes with the strong flavor of cotechino. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 800 g of potatoes
• 1 precooked cotechino (about 500 g)
• 1 small onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk of celery
• 400 ml of tomato purée
• 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• 50 g of butter
• 1 egg
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Nutmeg to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• 1 glass of red wine (optional)
• Vegetable broth to taste (optional)

Preparation

1. Start with preparing the cotechino ragù. Finely chop the onion, carrot, and celery and fry them in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
2. Cut the precooked cotechino into small dices and add it to the fry. Leave to brown for a few minutes, then deglaze with red wine if you are using it.
3. Add the tomato purée and cook on low heat for at least 30 minutes, adding a bit of broth if the sauce reduces too much. Season with salt and pepper.
4. While the ragù is cooking, move on to preparing the potato base. Boil the whole potatoes with their skin on in salted water; once cooked, peel them and mash them with a potato masher.
5. Add the butter, grated Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, pepper, and a grating of nutmeg to the mashed potatoes and mix until you have a smooth mixture.
6. Take a baking dish (or a round cake mold if you prefer) and grease the bottom and sides with a little oil. Spread a layer of mashed potatoes, then pour over the cotechino ragù, creating a heart of filling.
7. Cover with another layer of mashed potatoes, sealing the edges well.
8. Bake at 180 °C for about 20-30 minutes or until the surface is golden brown and crispy.
9. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

Curiosity

Cotechino is a typical Italian sausage traditionally linked to the Christmas and New Year period. Pairing it with a potato dish makes it a substantial one-course meal, perfect for cold winter days.

This recipe can be personalized as you like: for a lighter touch, you could replace the cotechino with sausage, or for an even richer variant, you could add cheese between the layers of potatoes. Enjoy your meal!