You might imagine that potatoes and pastry would combine to a carb overload but there are times when that’s exactly what I want so here goes: This recipe is taken from from Pizzeria Delfina in San Francisco by way of the Guardian, where the cheese and the liquid that it comes in combine with a little cream and seasoning to make a sauce of sorts and a really good base for a pizza or tart.
Makes 4 individual tarts or 1 large tart
For the flaky pastry (or buy some ready-made puff pastry)
plain flour 140g, plus more for rolling
salt a pinch
sugar a pinch
cold butter 85g, cut into 1cm cubes
iced water 2-3 tbsp
egg 1, beaten, for the egg wash
For the filling
mozzarella 1 large ball and its liquid
double cream 2 tbsp
olive oil 2 tbsp
rosemary 1 tbsp, chopped
sea salt 2 good pinches, or to taste
cracked black pepper plenty
new potatoes 8 (about 200g), peeled, boiled and cut into 1cm slices
olive oil for drizzling
To make the pastry, combine the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Cut in the cubes of butter with a pastry cutter or the back of a fork, or use a mixer. Avoid over mixing as you want to leave larger chunks of butter than you would think, to give a flakier pastry. Drizzle in the water and bring it all together. Shape into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Chop the mozzarella ball into 1cm pieces and put them in a bowl with 4 tablespoons of the cheese liquid, the cream, olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients together, taste for seasoning and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
If making individual tarts, divide the pastry into 4 balls. Roll the pastry or pastries out on a lightly floured surface until about 2mm thick. Carefully lift on to the lined baking tray and sprinkle with a little flour (this helps to keep the pastry crisp). Cover the base or bases with the sliced potatoes, leaving a 2cm border. Fold the rim of pastry up over the filling and brush the pastry with the beaten egg. Now spoon the cheese mixture evenly over the tarts. Bake the tarts for 20-25 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and drizzle the baked tarts with a little olive oil before serving.
