Think of it as a potato lasagna but without the tomato sauce and you’ve got yourself an easy winner for lunch or dinner any day of the week.

I first posted this photo on my Facebook page and it got a lot of comments for the recipe, so I decided to share the recipe and the little story of how it came to be. I hope you enjoy.

Tortino di patate ~ Potato Pie

Monday morning – it’s market day and I have no idea what to make for lunch, nevermind having to think about preparing meals with this market haul for the next 7 days. I head to the local coffee shop and order a shot of espresso, searching for the daily paper. Every Monday morning for the past 6 years I have come to this little coffee shop and ordered my second espresso of the day and chat with the barista. She knows my name and smiles honestly when she sees me. We have developed a nice friendship – she went to Mexico and brought me back a mini-bottle of tequila, I went to Jamaica and brought her back a mini-change purse. Plus she’s a Libra, nuff said.

“Che cosa faccio per pranzo?” I asked in my best Italian accent complete with hand gestures.

“Boh. Tortino di patate?” She tilted her head when she spoke, it spoke of innocence.

“Che cos e tortino di patate?”

What is tortino di patate?

Simply put, it’s a potato pie or potato cake. It doesn’t matter which way you look at it, because it’s amaze-balls! And this is how you make it (you can vary the ingredients as you like but use potatoes as your base):

• Thinly slice potatoes
• Thinly slice zucchini
• Lightly oil bottom of pan
• Layer potatoes
• Add cheese of your own choice – I used two types: parmesan and swiss. My friend uses parmesan and dolce sardo (which is a soft cheese).
• Layer zucchini – here I put five zucchini slices, one in each corner and one in the center
• Sprinkle salt
• Repeat until layers reach the top
• Cook at 200° for 45 minutes
• Cover with parchment paper for 35 minutes
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes
• Cut, eat and enjoy!

I served this dish as a main course, it’s heavy and filling but worth every bite. I will make this again, as a winter dish.

I sent my friend a message on Facebook telling her how awesome her Tortino di patate was. She told me it’s her favourite dish and I can see why: with all the fresh local ingredients and it’s easy to make, this dish is fast becoming one of my favourites too.

Do you swap recipes with the locals?