Like so much else in Italian cookery, this Italian crispy potato dish traditionally called ‘Patate Maritate’, i.e. ‘Married Potatoes’, takes everyday ingredients and elevates them into something so delicious and good to look at that it can serve as a main course or a side dish.

It originates in the town of Pescasseroli, in Abruzzo region, central Italy, and combines thinly sliced potato with parsley, garlic and cheese. Truly a marriage made in Heaven.

Serves 4, Preparation time 20 mins, Cooking time approx. 50-60 mins

  • 1kg potatoes
  • 1 bunch of fresh parsley
  • 1 peeled garlic clove
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 250gm smoked Scamorza or Mozzarella cut into small cubes
  • 100gm grated Pecorino
  • 100gm breadcrumbs, ideally from stale bread, to taste
  • 150gm of cooked ham, an optional extra
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil, EVOO, to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F / Gas 6.

 
Finely chop the parsley and garlic clove and mix with the breadcrumbs. Set aside.
 
Peel the potatoes and cut into 5mm slices. You don’t need the peelings for this dish but you can turn them into an appetiser with our recipe for fried-potato-skins-with-pecorino-and-thyme.
 
Grease the bottom of a baking tin with a couple of tablespoons of EVOO and form the first layer of potato slices, overlapping slightly as necessary to cover the surface and pressing them into the rim.
 
Scatter this potato base with a generous handful of the breadcrumbs, some of your grated and cubed cheeses and the ham, if included, and season as you wish. Repeat these layers at least three times, or until your ingredients are used up, making sure to finish with the breadcrumbs and cheese uppermost.
 
Bake 50 to 60 min. It’s done when the top layer is crispy and browning but not burnt.
 
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