Potato-and-Radicchio Tart
This recipe for a satisfying savory tart is adapted from the pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz, who makes endless variations on the dish, building it in up in thoughtful layers. You can play with the format, too, swapping out the ingredients based on what you have on hand. Start with a cold pâte brisée, then go from there: Spread a fine layer of cheese such as ricotta or mascarpone, then season it with lemon zest, salt and pepper. Now move onto a denser layer of cooked vegetables, such as cauliflower, potato, leek or squash, lightly seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper. Fill the gaps in the vegetables with pieces of cheese. When the tart comes out of the oven, consider a topping of herbs, lightly dressed salad leaves or even a couple of fried eggs.
- Total:
- Serves: 1 person
Ingredients
- ½cup ricotta
- 4slices provolone, ripped into pieces
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 12ounces fingerling or new potatoes, boiled and cooled
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 1shallot, finely sliced
- 1egg, lightly beaten
- Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated, to garnish
- 8to 10 leaves radicchio
- Splash of white-wine vinegar
Instructions
Step 1
After the dough has rested in the fridge for at least an hour, and up to 12 hours, preheat the oven to 350. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle, dusting with flour underneath and on top, as needed. Use a knife to trim the rough outer edge of the circle, cutting away as little dough as possible. Place the disc on a sheet of parchment paper, on a half-sheet pan. Use a small palette knife or spoon to spread the ricotta across the dough almost all the way to the edge, and scatter the provolone and lemon zest on top. Season lightly with salt and pepper. (If the dough is warm, return it to the fridge while you prepare the potatoes.)Step 2
Use your hands to roughly break apart the potatoes, so they’re about halved, with jagged edges. In a large bowl, mix the potato pieces with olive oil, shallots, salt and pepper. Scatter the potato-shallot mixture all over the dough, and set the bowl aside (you’ll use it to dress the radicchio). Fold an inch at the edge of the dough inward, pressing it over the potato mixture, working your way around the whole tart. Brush the dough with egg wash, and bake for 45 minutes, or until the edge as well as the bottom are light brown and crisp.Step 3
Grip the parchment paper, and slide the tart onto a cooling rack, then cover it with grated Parmigiano. When the tart is no longer hot to the touch, dress radicchio leaves using the same bowl you used for the potatoes, still slick with olive oil, adding another drizzle if needed and a splash of white-wine vinegar so the leaves are just barely coated and glistening. Arrange the leaves on top of the cooled tart, season lightly with salt and serve.