A potato take on Italian scarpaccia !

After my viral parmesan potato scarpaccia I had to make a sweet potato version that is just (if not more) as delicious!

Here I bring you a potato and Parmesan cheese version that I’ve been obsessed with ! It’s delicious just on its own but I love having it as a side with some fried eggs or grilled fish. It also pairs very well with some homemade alioli.

So what is scarpaccia?

It is an Italian savoury tart from the Tuscany region traditionally made with zucchini and zucchini flowers. The original recipe is actually fully vegan although that doesn’t make it less tasty ! It is a one bowl recipe in which you mix the zucchini with some flour, water and rosemary and then bake into a think crispy layer. "Scarpaccia” actually means ugly or old shoe, because once cooked it’s thin as a shoe sole. Although I beg to disagree as I think it looks so lovely and delicious!

In this recipe I’ve substituted the zucchini with my beloved potato and added extra Parmesan because cheese and potato are just a match made in heaven! It is of course quite different from the original version although it shares that lovely crispy texture and of course delicious flavour.

🌱Vegetarian (vegan option)

🍽️ 4 portions

Ingredients

• 1 medium sweet potato

• 100g plain flour

• 20g cornflour/cornmeal

• 35g parmesan cheese

• 1 tsp rosemary

• 70-80g water

• 1 egg

• olive oil to drizzle

• optional: 1 sweet potato finely sliced with a mandolin for decoration

Method

• Peel the sweet potato and then grate with the coarse side of a grater into a bowl. Measure with a scale 180g of sweet potato.

• To the same bowl add the water, flour, grated Parmesan cheese, and rosemary. Mix well with a wooden spoon until well incorporated. Finally add the egg and mix well again with the spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper

• Take a 25cm cast iron pan (or an oven safe dish) and cover with some parchment paper to prevent the mix from sticking to the bottom. Transfer the prepared mix and spread evenly. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and some extra grated Parmesan. Additionally you can decorate the top with finely sliced sweet potato in circular motion and then top it with the parmesan and oil.

• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for around 35-40 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove from the baking pan, slice and enjoy !

FAQS and Tips

• You can make the mix in advance, store it in the fridge and bake it once you are ready to eat it

• You can substitute with Parmesan for another hard cheese of your choice such as Manchego or Pecorino