Debra's Layered Casserole With Beef, Cabbage And Potatoes (Socca) - Lidia Bastianich

This is Lidia's recipe as she cooks it. Our changes* are noted below the ingredient list.

Yield: 12 Servings

Ingredients:

About a dozen large fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves, stripped from the branch
8 plump garlic cloves, peeled
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 pounds red potatoes, sliced ½ inch thick
A 4-pound boneless beef shoulder roast (preferably a “top blade” or “top chuck shoulder” roast)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) soft butter
1 head Savoy cabbage, about 2½ pounds, cored and sliced into ½-inch shreds
2 cups white wine
1 pound shredded fontina from Valle d’Aosta (or Italian Fontal)

(* We aren't big herb people, we eat pretty simple. We don't use the sage or rosemary. We also use Green cabbage. We use beef broth instead of wine and we used 3 cups. We dip 2 cups off after cooking and save it for making some awesome gravy for mashed potatoes or rice for another meal. With all the liquid in the cabbage you still have plenty in the dish. We have decided that we like this dish better without cheese. We also added 2 med carrots, sliced about 1/2" thick. Our 'pestata' is made from the garlic, 2/3 cup olive oil, and 1 tsp. of salt, 1 tsp. of black pepper and we add 1/2 large onion. Since we don't use cheese any more, the last 15 or 20 minutes required to melt the cheese aren't necessary.)

Instructions:

You will need a food processor; a large baking dish or roasting pan, 5-quart capacity, 10 by 15 inches or larger.
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven, and heat to 375º. Using a food processor, mince the sage, rosemary, garlic, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, and ½ teaspoon of the salt into a fine-textured pestata.
Put the potato slices in a large bowl; sprinkle on top 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 tablespoon of the pestata. Toss well to coat the slices with the seasonings.  
With a sharp knife, slice the beef across the grain into 3/4-inch thick slices, if using a top-blade roast, slice it crosswise. As you did with the potatoes, put the meat slices in a bowl and toss them with seasonings until well coated, using 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of the pestata.
Brush the roasting pan with the remaining olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Arrange half of the potato slices in a single layer on the pan bottom, spread half the cabbage shreds evenly over the potatoes, and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Distribute all the beef slices, in a single layer, over the cabbage. (The pan should be about half full: press down on the beef if it looks like you need more room for the rest of the vegetables.)
Dot the top of the beef with small mounds of butter, using another tablespoons in all. Lay the remaining potato slices on top of the beef slices, spread the rest of the cabbage evenly over the slices, and season with the remaining teaspoon salt. Stir all of the remaining pestata into the white wine, and pour the wine all over the cabbage shreds. Finally, dot the top with the rest of the butter.  
Tent the baking dish with a sheet of aluminum foil, arching it above the food and pressing it against the sides of the pan. Set the dish in the oven, and bake about 2 1/2 hours, until the meat and vegetables are all very tender and almost all of the liquid has been absorbed.
Remove the foil, and sprinkle the shredded fontina over the top of the potatoes and cabbage (which will have sunk down in the pan). Bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the fontina has melted, bubbled,and browned into a crusty topping.
Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes. (Yeah, we never manage to wait 10 minutes, lol.)