The potato pie with ham and provola is a tasty and rich rustic dish that uses raw potatoes, not previously boiled. It does not contain yolks, flour, or any leavening agents. This very easy recipe was created to use up leftover egg whites from a previous preparation, and it was a real success because it is delicious and very tempting. It can be served as an appetizer, at a buffet, or for Saturday night dinner and can be enjoyed either warm or cold.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 5 cups yellow potatoes
- 5.3 oz cooked ham
- 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 4 unbeaten egg whites
- to taste fine salt
- 5.3 oz smoked provola cheese
- to taste ground black pepper
Steps
To make our delicious and rich stuffed savory pie, we’ll use raw potatoes.
Before moving on to the potatoes, chop the cooked ham (you can also use raw ham or speck) more or less coarsely and cut the provola into cubes (you can use any melting cheese you prefer or have at home, well-drained from any whey).
Wash the potatoes thoroughly, peel them, rinse them again under running water, gently pat them dry with a kitchen towel, and grate them using the larger holes of a grater.
Gather the grated potatoes in a mixing bowl. Add the egg whites lightly beaten with a fork and all the other ingredients, including the two grated cheeses (I like to use a mix of Grana or Parmesan and Pecorino Romano because together they give a more appetizing and enticing flavor and aroma to savory pies), a generous pinch of fine salt, and a grind of fresh pepper. Mix well to ensure the ingredients blend perfectly and transfer the obtained mixture into a cake tin with a diameter of 8 inches and a height of 2 inches (like mine), if you want to make a tall potato pie; otherwise, you can use a larger and lower cake tin. You can grease it with oil or butter and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs, or line the mold with parchment paper.
Level the mixture with the back of a spoon and place it in the oven at 392°F, at mid-height, and let it cook for about 35 minutes or until it turns golden. It is not necessary for the oven to be preheated; in this case, however, the cooking times increase by about 10/12 minutes, depending on the type of oven used and the speed at which it reaches the set temperature.
When the stuffed potato pie is cooked, take it out of the oven, let it cool for at least 30 minutes before removing it from the mold, if you used parchment paper; if you buttered the mold, wait at least an hour before removing it, as it may break. When the pie is cold, it can be cut and enjoyed cold or slightly reheated.
Bon appetit
