Saltimbocca with sweet potato mash

In Italy saltimbocca is often served with polenta, but since I am not a huge fan of the later, I prefer to serve it with sweet potato mash...which I love! The saltiness of the Parma ham harmonizes perfectly with the rich sweetness of the mash. I serve this with braised cabbage or spinach (recipes to follow).

The biggest challenge when cooking this recipe is to keep the meat nice and tender. For one this obviously requires high quality meat, so this is not a good place to try to safe money. Equally important, however, is not to overcook the scallopini. Give them just a minimum of time in the frying pan and trust me, they will be done. 

Ingredients (serves 2): 


3 veal scallopini (300gr)
3-4 slices of Parma ham
Handfull of sage leaves (fresh!)
1 tablespoon of flour
Butter or olive oil
200ml white wine 

For the mash:
200gr potatoes
400gr sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon of cayenne
2 tablespoons of butter

125ml milk or cream


Preparation: 


1. First, place the scallopini between two sheets of cling film and pound into thin slices. Cut into 2 or 3 pieces each. Sprinkle the meat with a bit of salt (careful here, the ham is salty too) and pepper. Then place one sage leave and half a slice of Parma ham on each piece of meat, securing with a toothpick.

2. Dust the scallopini with some flour and saute them in some butter or olive oil (medium heat). Since the meat is very thin, this won't take long and you can remove the scallopini after 1-2 minutes on each side. If you are cooking for 3 or more, I recommend you do this in batches.


3. Once the veal has been cooked put it on a plate and set aside. Now add the white wine to the pan. Let the wine bubble away for a few minutes before adding 1-2 tablespoons of cold butter, stirring in well (the butter will bind the sauce, giving it a smooth almost creamy consistency). Season to taste with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of sugar (the butter will take the edge of the acidity of the wine, but you may need some sugar in addition to this). You can also add some fresh sage leaves if you want to.  Before serving, return the meat to the pan and allow to reheat in the sauce for a few minutes.


4. For the mash, simply peel the potatoes and cut in to 2cm cubes. Cook in salted water until soft. Drain. Add the butter, milk (or cream), the cayenne, salt and pepper and mash using a fork until it has reached a creamy but still slightly chunky consistency.