Mashed potato gratin may not sound very fancy. I actually had to spend 1 hour researching the best way to call this recipe because I could not properly translate the italian version.
In Italy, a very common side dish or appetizer is Sformato. You can make it with any vegetable, blended with flour and eggs and baked until it comes out of its cocotte. The name Sformato literally means "removed from the mould". It's served warm or cold, by itself or with a cheese sauce.
The most common Sformato are made with artichokes, spinach or potatoes. The potato one is also called Gattò, from the french Gateau. It always has some stuffing, usually cheese and ham.
But since both Gattò and Sformato are not really common outside of Italy, I didn't know how to call this recipe. I though about Flan or Cake, but they both have different consistencies. So mashed potato gratin is the closest caption I could think of. Do you know a better name for this recipe? Let me know in the comments!
Check out also this guide on how to freeze Mozzarella cheese.
How to make Potato Gratin
A mashed potato gratin or Italian Potato Gateau, is simply a cake of mashed potatoes with a delicious filling of vegetables and cheese.
In a baking dish or cocotte, add half of the mashed potato mixture. Spread it well in an even layer, then add in the center all your stuffings. You can add sautèed vegetables, all kind of cheeses or Italian meats like ham or Prosciutto.
It's so versatile that you can try different combinations to have everytime a different dish.
The Recipe
📖 RECIPE
Mashed Potato Gratin with Artichokes and Buffalo Mozzarella
Ingredients
- 1 lb Potatoes
- 2 Eggs
- ⅓ cup Milk
- 3 tablespoon Parmigiano cheese, grated
- 1 Buffalo Mozzarella
- 3 Artichokes
- 1 Shallot
- Olive Oil
- Breadcrumbs
- Butter
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 180°C (350°F).
- Peel and boil the potatoes until a fork can easily pierce them. Drain and mash them in a large bowl when they're still warm and set aside.
- Clean well the artichokes to get to the hearts and roughly chop them (be careful to also remove the flower bud in the center).
- Finely chop the shallot and sauté in a pan drizzled with olive oil. Add the artichokes, season with salt and pepper and cook at low heat until tender. Add some water if necessary.
- Combine the eggs, 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano cheese and the milk to the bowl with the potatoes. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Butter the ramekins, cocottes or baking dish, then coat all sides with breadcrumbs.
- Divide the potato mixture in two and add one half on the bottom of the cocottes, flattening it with a spoon.
- Add the cooked artichokes and a few pieces of Buffalo Mozzarella in the center, then cover on top with the remaining potato mixture, again flattening with a spoon.
- Sprinkle some breadcrumbs and the remaining Parmigiano on top, then drizzle with olive oil and bake in the preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 15-20 minutes. Turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Eva
Ciao!! Ti ho trovata da Food Blogger social Promotion!! Io sono una ragazza italiana immigrata in Svezia, piacere di conoscere qualcuno simile a me 🙂 Non apro sempre i post dal Pinterest thread, ma questa tua ricetta mi intrigava e quindi sono venuta a leggermi il post. Difficile davvero tradurre "sformato", io probabilmente lo avrei chiamato "potato bake"? Che buono, comunque!
Emily Leary
OMG this looks incredible. What a fantastic way to enjoy artichokes – I would eat every last scrap of this!
Kelsey
Wow! This has so many thing I love in an appetizer! I am all about that cheese and I love this for an addition to my Thanksgiving menu!