Portuguese Salt Cod, Potato and Egg Casserole


Ingredients
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced2 bay leaves2 small white onions, quartered and thinly slicedKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper2 oz. salt cod, flaked2 large Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 lb.), peeled and sliced into 1⁄16-inch-thick rounds1⁄2 cup 1⁄2 cup pitted kalamata olives, thinly sliced, plus more to garnish2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced crosswise1⁄4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preparation
  • Heat the oven to 325°. In a 4-qt. Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium. Add the garlic, onions, bay leaves, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, scrape the onions into a bowl and discard the bay leaves. Set the pot aside until cooled.
  • Coat the bottom of the Dutch oven with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and lightly season with salt and pepper. Arrange a layer of potatoes in the bottom of the pot, overlapping the slices slightly, lightly season with salt, and then top with a one-third of the onions and one-quarter of the olives. Arrange another layer of potatoes over the olives, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Top the potatoes with another one-third of the onions, one-quarter of the olives, and half the cod. Using a metal spatula, press down on the ingredients to compress them.
  • Top the olives with half the egg slices, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Arrange another layer of potatoes over the eggs, press down again with a spatula, and season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining onions, olives, salt cod, egg slices, and 1 tablespoon olive oil and then cover with a final layer of potatoes and press down again using a spatula. Drizzle the potatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Cover the Dutch oven and bake for about 40 minutes. Heat the broiler, uncover the pot, and cook the casserole until golden brown on top, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the top with more olives and parsley and let cool slightly before cutting into pieces.
Recipe & Photo Credit: George Mendes's cookbook, My Portugal
Preparation time 15 min
Cooking Time 50 min
Ready In1 h 5 min
Level of DifficultyEasy
Servings4
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