A Savory Potato Tart Recipe You Must Try

I tell my old farmer friend, who grew up poor, regularly eating potatoes and not much else, that I'm crazy for them. My favorite vegetable! "Fine, please pass the steak," he says. But I've been potato-smitten from the first. For that matter, I'm farinaceous at heart, and so I'm wild about bread and savory pastries, too, and I love pasta.What's more, I happily eat them together. It's the starch-on-starch principle, and it can be absolutely delightful, even if its original purpose was as a frugal filling meal. For instance, is there a problem with mashed-potato-filled ravioli? It's a heavenly combination, tossed with olive oil, garlic and herbs, showered with grated cheese and maybe a few toasted breadcrumbs.Or another traditional Italian delight, trenette al pesto, pasta and potatoes tossed liberally with a garlicky Genovese bright green sauce. Or a fragrant crisp pizza with ultrathin slices of potato, some pancetta and rosemary, drizzled with fruity olive oil. I grew up on potato cakes, essentially last night's mashed potatoes repurposed, rolled in cracker crumbs and fried in margarine. And though I didn't grow up with potato-chip sandwiches on white bread, I love the idea of it. For snacking in India, there are toasted sandwiches filled with cooked potatoes and hot chutney. I may riff off both themes and combine elements, actually, or forget the sandwich and just have a hot potato samosa at the corner place where all the taxi drivers go. Right in my neighborhood, I can also get a knish or a bowl of pierogi, those Eastern European two-starch treats, whenever I want.There is no doubt French cooks have contributed enormously to the potato's advancement. A most elegant potato dish is the classic gratin dauphinois, sliced potatoes bathed in cream and baked in a low earthenware dish until the surface is beautifully browned. It's delicious seasoned simply with just salt and pepper, but a little nutmeg, a touch of garlic and some chopped thyme give it more depth of flavor.But suppose we apply the starch-on-starch approach and bake the gratin en croûte? Line a fluted tart pan with pastry dough and fill it with the seasoned potato-and-cream mixture. Lay another piece of pastry on top, brush it with egg glaze and bake for an hour or so.Savory Potato Tart
Time: 2 hours, plus at least 1 hour for chilling
For the pastry:
2 cups/250 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter cut in 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 cup ice water
For the filling:
2 pounds medium yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, peeled
1 1/4 cups crème fraîche
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of grated nutmeg
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
For the egg wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cream or crème fraîche1. Make the pastry: Put flour and salt in a mixing bowl (or use a food processor or a stand mixer with paddle attachment). Add half the butter and mix well, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add remaining butter chunks and the water and mix until dough comes together. Remove dough, divide into 2 equal pieces and dust with flour. Quickly form each piece into a ball, then press down to make 2 1-inch-thick disks. Wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. (May be made a day in advance or frozen for up to 2 weeks.)2. Make the filling: Slice potatoes as thinly as possible, using a sharp knife, mandolin or food processor. Put potato slices in a large bowl and add crème fraîche, salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic and thyme. Mix well with hands, making sure all slices are coated and seasoning is well distributed. Set aside.3. Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a well-floured surface, roll out each pastry disk to 12 1/2 inches in diameter. Line an 11-inch fluted French tart pan (with removable bottom) with one sheet of pastry, pressing in at the sides and leaving a 1-inch overlap hanging.4. Add the potatoes to the tart pan in even layers, making sure to scrape in all remaining crème fraîche with a rubber spatula. Lay the second pastry sheet on top. With a paring knife, trim excess dough and crimp the edges all around to seal. Make a few slits in the dough to allow steam to escape. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set tart on it. Stir egg yolk and cream together and paint the top of the tart generously.5. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 1 hour more, until top is golden and potatoes are tender when probed with a paring knife. Cool slightly, then set tart pan over a small, sturdy bowl, so that the bottom of the tart pan is elevated and the fluted ring comes off. Carefully transfer tart to a plate. Serve small slices, hot or at room temperature. May be cooled completely and reheated if desired.
Yield: 8 to 10 servingsAnd to Drink ...
This potato tart presents a vast range of options. Would you like something as deep and mellow as the dish itself? Perhaps a rich red with 10 years or so of age to soften the tannins, like a good St.-Émilion, a Cornas from the Rhône, a brooding Bandol from Provence or an Aglianico from Campania. Or maybe the equivalent in a white, like a well-aged Austrian riesling from the Wachau, a Meursault, a good pinot blanc, Champagne, even an oxidative savagnin or vin jaune from the Jura.You could opt instead for something younger and brighter, like a cru Beaujolais, a Sancerre or other sauvignon blanc, an exuberant from Mediterranean Spain, maybe a restrained zinfandel. Then again, you could try something completely different, like a demi-sec Vouvray, with a touch of vibrant sweetness, or an earthy, complex amontillado. - ERIC ASIMOV© 2014 New York Times News Service