Patate Alla Lucana

by becky
Created
From the cookbook America's Test Kitchen: More Meditteranean

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano, divided
  • 1 teaspoon table salt, divided
  • ¾ teaspoon pepper, divided
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 onions, halved and sliced thin
  • 2 lb russet potatoes
  • 3 lb plum tomatoes, cored and sliced 1/4 in thick
  • 3 oz pecorino romano cheese, grated (1.5 cups), divided
  • 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Combine 2 teaspoons oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in bowl; set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, remaining 1 teaspoon oregano, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes; set aside.
  2. Peel and slice potatoes ⅛ inch thick. Shingle half of tomatoes evenly in prepared dish, then sprinkle with ½ cup Pecorino. Shingle half of potatoes on top, then sprinkle with half of reserved oregano mixture. Spread reserved onions over potatoes, then shingle remaining potatoes over top, followed by remaining tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining reserved oregano mixture and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
  3. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour. Sprinkle with 1 cup remaining pecarino and panko and bake until well-browned and potatoes are tender (paring knife can be slipped in and out of potatoes with little resistance), about 20 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving.