Potato and Onion Tart

Potato and onion tart - hmm a lot of fat going on here.  But potatoes are a vegetable containing healthy vitamins, and there's protein to be had in the egg and cheese.  You could eat it with butterbeans, baked beans, peas or other pulse for a better protein balance, and with plenty of lighter green vegetables on the side to bring down the calorie denseness. Extra vegetables will also add fibre, as will the use of wholemeal in the pastry which will also help to stop and blood sugar spikes from all the carbs

BBC Good Food - Potato and Onion Tart

I found a recipe for potato and onion tart in one of my BBC Good Food recipe books.  One of my go-to sources of recipes that actually work.  I was looking for ideas for batch cooking for lunches and main meals and thought this would be a good idea for something to take to work.  If you want the original recipe - here is the ISBN for the book:

I can't find the same recipe on the BBC Good Food website, but there is something a little similar called a Goat's cheese potato and onion tart

But back to the potato and onion tart that I made....

Sorry I've got no exact recipe I just winged it using th eabove recipe as inspiration, and added and subtracted to suit myself and what I had in the kitchen, so I don't now any quantities, but you are a clever lot and I am sure you well know the appetites, likes and dislikes of your own people.

As always I use a recipe guidance and only sort of keep to it.  Having made the potato and onion tart featured below, I think next time I would use a little less potato and a lot more onion, and egg to make it more quiche like, but it was still tasty. 

This is how I made it and I am sure you can alter it to suit yourself also:

How I made my potato and onion tart

First I boiled thick slices of potato with skins on

Then got to making the pastry while they cooked....

Making the pastry

The recipe says to use a 375g pack of ready made shortcrust pastry but I prefer to make my own.  This way I can make it just a tad healthier and more satisfying by using a percentage of wholemeal flour, and adding seeds (chia in this case) and ground linseed.  You will see the speckles in the dough mix in the photos below

This is how to make pastry if you don't already know.

I made a lot! because a wanted a big pie to last for lunches all week.  You don't need to make it this big or this shape.

Don't forget to check on the boiling potato slices - don't want them to boil to a mush

I also used onions (of course) garlic, eggs, cream cheese, dried herbs and mustard

So I got my pastry made

Added plenty of flour to my work surface

flattened the lump of dough

and rolled it out with my trusty old rolling pin which once belonged to my grandmother (born around 1900 I think?)

Roll it one way, then twist it round to roll it the other way

Keep going until it is the right size and not too thick.  Try not to be tempted to turn it over in case you rip it.  But make sure there is still plenty of flour underneath so it doesn't stick to your work surface

Place your dish or tray on top to make sure it is roughly the right size, taking into account the depth of the dish too.  You don't need to be too accurate because it is easy enough to patch it up if it doesn't quite fit

Now is the tricky part of trying to transfer the pastry. Especially tricky for the large amount of dough that I used.  Best to use your rolling pin to help with this.  Usually by flipping one end over the pin and using the pin to pick up that end and your other hand to pick up the other end you can manage this quite easily

But my pastry was so big I had to flip the other end over too

So then lay it over your dish and unfold it again.  Don't worry if you do rip it because as I said - easily patched up. See further down for how to patch up pastry. Oh, and you might want to grease the dish first to be certain it doesn't stick after cooking, but I have never found the need for this with my particular bakeware.

Don't stretch the pastry to fit, but lift and fold into the corners

Then trim it with a knife

See here, it didn't quite fit into one corner.  So to patch pastry together you first need to dampen it well

Use some of the trimmings to fill the gap and overlap the edges

Then smooth over the join with your finger

So I baked it blind in a not very hot oven because I didn't want it going brown and crispy at this stage.  Now many people would have you think you need to put something in the pastry to keep it flat, but I've never found the need.  If it bubbles up a bit, just pat it flat again.  You're not cooking it fully, just enough so as not to get a "soggy bottom" (those are gas marks - see a conversion chart if you are using a different fuel)

Your leftover bits you could feed to the birds, put on your compost heap or make something else such as tasty but high calorie fattening cheese twists or maybe jam tarts or little pasties

Now for the filling of your potato and onion tart

Chop up some onions

and garlic

and fry them

Don't forget to keep your eye on the pastry

Crack some eggs into a bowl (I should have used more than 3 but heyho)

Add a spoon of mustard

And an average pot of cream cheese

Whip it all up together

Add whatever other herbs and seasoning you fancy

and mix them in

Tip the fried onions and garlic onto the pastry and spread them out

Arrange the sliced boiled potatoes on top

Pour over the egg and cheese mix

and spread it around - see I really should have used more eggs

Now it's ready for a final baking

and you will need the oven to bit a bit hotter this time

That looks tasty

Cut into squares and eat hot or cold with plenty of vegetables or salad to make up a bit for the stodginess. 

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Please remember that the author of this website is not a professional.  All statements are opinions and not to be taken as advice.