Recipe for potato cake with bacon
Although it was gradually introduced into Europe at the end of the 16th century, its origins date back to Peru four centuries earlier. Several thousand varieties are now cultivated throughout the world, including for non-culinary use. Of course, we are talking about something we are all familiar with – the famous potato!
An extraordinary tuber with so many different uses
Hot or cold, in salads, as a meal, a garnish, a soup, 'au gratin'... and even in desserts! The potato is endlessly versatile, in all seasons and in as many recipes as there are regional specialities.
Here, courtesy of Chef Laurence, the Hôtel du Centre presents its lavish version of the potato. Discover it in the form of a creamy cake with bacon, which you will find on the La Pergola restaurant menu. This dish is best served with a good quality piece of meat, accompanied by its full-bodied juice. Choose, for example, beef tenderloin.
Ingredients
For 6 people, you will need a 20 x 30 cm casserole dish and the following ingredients:
- 700 g firm potatoes
- 200 g duck fat
- 15 slices of bacon (thinly sliced)
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Culinary preparation
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin strips with a knife or mandoline slicer.
- Once sliced, rinse them with water to remove as much starch as possible.
- Mix the potatoes with the duck fat in a bowl. Then add salt and pepper.
- Line the bottom of the baking dish with a piece of greaseproof paper and cover it with the slices of bacon, laid out evenly.
- Arrange the rest of the potatoes on top of the bacon slices, making sure that they are evenly distributed layer by layer.
- Cover with a piece of greaseproof paper and bake at 150°C for 1 hour.
- After baking, invert the bacon potato cake onto a serving dish.
- Let it cool down so that you can cut it into nice rectangular pieces.
- Reheat the pieces of cake in the oven for 10-15 minutes before serving – ideally the next day!
Tip from the Chef
To check if the potatoes are cooked when they come out of the oven, insert a knife into them. They should have a creamy texture.
If you want to reduce the cooking time in the oven, you can precook the potatoes in a pan in a mixture of milk and water.
Finally, for an extra bit of flavour, you can add the following to your recipe before baking:
- a few finely chopped garlic cloves
- a pinch of grated nutmeg
