Potato and Mushroom Bake

While flicking through the pages of Gennaro Contaldo's Italian Year I soon realised that I've only ever made one recipe from this book and that was an Espresso Granita.

With the weather turning considerably cooler a look through the Autumn section of the book seemed more appropriate and indeed it proved to be a fruitful search as I found the delicious sounding Tortino di Porcini e Patate in Salsa di Pomodoro (Porcini and Potato Bake with Tomato).

I didn't have any Porcini but that didn't stop me - I used Swiss brown mushrooms instead. In the original recipe the porcini are added raw to the dish but I felt I could get a bit more flavour from the mushrooms by quickly sautéing them with garlic and thyme.

It does take a bit of time to make this dish but you can assemble it ahead of time and then just cook it when you are ready to serve.

Potato and Mushroom Bake

Tomato Sauce:
olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 can crushed tomatoes
salt and freshly ground pepper

Sauteed Mushrooms:
olive oil
400 grams Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
fresh thyme leaves

400 grams potato, sliced thickly and cooked until just tender
200 grams Fontina cheese, grated
fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

Make tomato sauce:

Heat a little olive oil in a deep saucepan over a low heat and add the onion and garlic - cook gently until the onions have softened and have started to colour. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for about 25 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and the flavours have concentrated. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the mushrooms:

Heat a little oil in a skillet over a medium heat and when heated add the sliced mushrooms and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms have browned and have released some of their excess liquid. Add the thyme leaves before removing from the heat.

Assemble the dish:

Place a little of the tomato sauce on the base of a baking dish. Cover with a layer of potato slices and then top with a little more of the tomato sauce, some chopped parlsey followed by the mushroom slices. Scatter over a little grated fontina then repeat the sequence until all the ingredients have used - finish with a potato layer that has been covered with a little tomato sauce, parsley and finally grated fontina.

Bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven until heated through and the cheese is golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.

Fontina has quite a distinctive taste (and aroma) and you could replace it with something like Swiss or Gruyere if preferred.

Potato