Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Italian Potato Torta



I have a big confession to make. I like to eat. For years I was in denial and it caused me a lot of pain. When I finally realized what I was doing to myself, I stopped. It got boring and to anxiety-causing to thinking about all the so-called horrors that eating can cause. Well, except one.

I have another confession to make. I'm largely of Scottish descent. Short, stocky, easily-gains-weight Scottish descent. This is the same genetics I've been fighting with that partially caused said anxiety and fear of eating and why I'm trying to change my eating habits.

I'm trying to cook lighter and healthier(easy in the summer) but I do not want to resort to eating like a mouse again. I'd rather not give up the flavour and variety. This torta isn't exactly of the lightest variety but it's my first stab at a tasty dish meant to be "light" (from a Cooking Light mag of April,2003).

Italian Potato Torta


6 cups cubed peeled baking potato (about 1 3/4 pounds)*
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced Italian-style tomatoes, drained
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Thyme sprigs (optional)

Preheat oven to 450°.
Place potatoes in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Return potatoes to pan; add flour, oil, salt, and egg. Mash potato mixture with a potato masher until smooth.
Spread potato mixture into a 9-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray. Combine seasoning, garlic, and tomatoes; spread evenly over potato mixture. Combine cheeses, and sprinkle over tomato mixture. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until golden. Let stand 20 minutes. Cut torta into 4 wedges. Garnish with thyme, if desired.

*NB: I think you should not be overly generous on the amount of potatoes. Skimp on them a bit and it may not be as overflowing in the pan as mine was and the seasoning more appropriate.

10 comments:

Andrea said...

Oh delicious...Please tell us how to make it...
I get so hungry every time I see your pictures...

Deetsa said...

Bazainville: As per reqest, it's now online.

iamchanelle said...

right back atcha! wowee!

i LOVE potatoes, and italian food...and EATING. great combinations of the three. :)

G said...

looks so good!

Michelle said...

Nerissa,
This sounds yummy! I've been getting cooking light magazine for several years and very rarely has there ever been a dish I didn't like - this one sounds really good. Please don't resort to eating like a mouse - we love to read about all your recipes - and believe me, there are tons of us out there looking for "healthy" ones!

ps. I tagged you for a meme - what I really want to know is what you keep in your closet! ha! you can maybe skip the fridge part, seeing as how you've already "shown us yours"... :)

Unknown said...

Nerissa, that sounds delicious. Too bad I just turfed my 6 years of Cooking Light Mags. (Realising that I wasn't even pretending to use them any more!)

Anonymous said...

Oh, that looks wonderful. That has everything that I love

Annie said...

Yum, she said, rubbing her belly. Thanks for the recipe.

Kala said...

damn this looks good! I need to try this!

Deetsa said...

Thank you all for your comments.

I tried before to say individual messages but I unfortunately got hassled by Blogger and lost them to cyberspace.

Do try this out. I'm sure you won't regret it! I'm thinking of trying a new version but making it Provencal-style instead.