The potato pie with ham and smoked provola cheese is a tasty and rich rustic dish that uses raw potatoes, not previously boiled. It contains no yolks, no flour, and no leavening agents. This very easy recipe was created to use up leftover egg whites from a previous preparation and was a real success because it is delicious and very tempting. You can serve it as an appetizer, at a buffet, or for a Saturday night dinner, and it is delicious both warm and 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
- 1.4 lbs 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 savory pie, we will 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 (in this case, you can use any melting cheese you like or have at home, well-drained of any whey).
Wash the potatoes thoroughly, peel them, rinse them again under running water, pat them gently with a kitchen towel, and grate them using the larger holes on a grater.
Gather the grated potatoes in a bowl. Add the slightly beaten egg whites with a fork and all the other ingredients, including the two grated cheeses (I like to use a mix of Grana or Parmesan – whichever you prefer – and Pecorino Romano, because together they give a more appetizing and tempting flavor and aroma to savory pies), a generous pinch of fine salt, and a grind of fresh pepper. Mix well to ensure the ingredients are perfectly combined and transfer the mixture into a baking tin with a diameter of 8 inches and a height of 2 inches (like mine) if you want to make a thick potato pie; otherwise, you can use a wider and shallower 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, halfway up, and let it bake for about 35 minutes or until golden. Preheating the oven is not necessary; however, in this case, the cooking time increases by about 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the type of oven used and the time it takes to reach the set temperature.
When the stuffed potato pie is cooked, remove it from 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 because it could break. When the pie is cool, it can be sliced and enjoyed cold or slightly reheated.
Bon appetit
