Torta di Patate

After being in Italy for a week I am finally posting my first recipe!  I am going to apologize now though, because I realized on my way to the airport that I forgot to bring my measuring cups with me.  Not to worry though, I am going to teach you all how to cook like a real Italian without measuring things out exactly.  Also, just to let you know, most of the recipes that I will be posting are typical dishes from Liguria, the region in Italy where my family is from.

Torta di Patate, Potato Torte, is a typical Ligurian side dish similar to scalloped potatoes with a layer of prosciutto and cheese between the potatoes.  It is not however Baciocca, which I will be posting a recipe for at a later time.

Ingredients:
olive oil
7 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt, divided
5-6 slices of prosciutto
Fontina cheese, sliced
dash of nutmeg
2 eggs
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cover bottom of 9 x 12 x 1 inch baking pan with olive oil.  Cover bottom of pan with a layer of potatoes, overlapping to make sure entire bottom is covered.  Sprinkle layer of potatoes with 1/4 tsp salt.  Cover layer of potatoes with Prosciutto and then with Fontina cheese.  Add another layer of potatoes, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp salt and drizzle a little olive oil over the top.

In a separate bowl mix together a dash of nutmeg, eggs, Parmesan cheese and milk.  Pour mixture evenly over potatoes.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown and potatoes are cooked thoroughly. (Side note: the ovens in Italy measure temperature in degrees Celsius so cooking time might vary.  If cheese starts to become too brown on top, cover with foil and continue baking)