Potato, Cheese & Onion Tart - Donal Skehan

 

Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4

For the pie filling:

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

350g waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 large onion, thinly sliced

150g mature cheddar cheese, grated

1⁄2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

200ml cream

3 large free-range eggs

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

For the shortcrust pastry :

200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

100g butter, very cold and cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing

2 tbsp ice-cold water

Sea salt and ground black pepper

Lightly dressed bitter leaf salad, to serve

1. For the pastry, put the flour and butter into a mixing bowl and, using your fingertips, lightly rub them together until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the cold water a little at a time and incorporate with a spoon. When the dough comes together, turn out onto a clean work surface and knead lightly just until it forms a ball. Press into a flat circle, wrap in cling film and allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

2. Grease a 23cm pie dish, 4cm in depth (capacity 1.2 litres), and dust with flour. Roll out the dough into a circle on a clean, floured work surface, to about 5mm thick. Transfer the rolled-out pastry to the tin and gently press it into all the sides. Roughly trim off most of the excess but leave some all round the edge of the tin to allow for shrinking. Don’t panic if the pastry breaks at all, just press it together with your fingers and repair any cracks with a little of the trimmed pastry. Chill in the fridge for 10–15 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Prick the pastry base with a fork, line with some scrunched-up greaseproof paper and pour in baking beans or dried pulses. Place in the oven for fifteen minutes, then remove the greaseproof paper and beans and cook for a further five minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven, trim off the remaining excess pastry and set aside on a wire cooling rack.

4. Meanwhile, place a large frying pan over a high heat, add the oil and fry the potatoes and onion for 20–25 minutes until tender, stirring regularly to ensure they don’t stick. Mix through the cheese and thyme and arrange on the base of the pastry case. Whisk together the cream and eggs, season with nutmeg, sea salt and ground black pepper.

5. Pour this over the potatoes, making sure it gets into all the nooks and crannies. Place the tart in the oven to cook for about twenty minutes, until golden on top and set. Leave to cool at room temperature for fifteen minutes, then cut into slices and arrange on plates with the bitter leaf salad to serve.

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