Naming recipes might be one of the hardest things about being a food blogger. It’s especially difficult when the recipe you’re trying to name has so many wonderful ingredients that you can’t possibly choose which one’s will be it’s namesake. Obviously potatoes will make an appearance in the name of this savory tart, but what about the blistered onions in the bottom layer of sautéed kale or the crunchy cornmeal crust that tastes like a sweet corn biscuit. How could I possibly not name the crispy gruyere layer on top that melts into the crispy tender potatoes to make the most satisfying scalloped potatoes? I can’t always name it all, but I settled on a final “Potato, Kale, and Gruyere Tart.” Simple, yet it won’t ever be enough to describe how delicious this tart really is.
The last tart I made I full on dropped, since I’m not used to that removable bottom layer of the tart pan. If you’re using a tart pan, careful to hold the sides, not the bottom when you’re transporting it. I was inspired by the delicious crust from my persimmon tart, but I wanted to use savory winter vegetables to make a really delicious wintery tart. This one is filled with sauteed kale, blistered onions and then topped with a layer of potatoes and gruyere then baked to crispy brown goodness.
I listed this as a dinner and breakfast recipe. It almost lands in quiche territory! But it could honestly go either way thanks to the potatoes. How beautiful would this be at a brunch!
See the full recipe below and drool over these browned and bubbling tart photos.
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- a pinch of kosher salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp ice water
- ¾ lb yukon gold potatoes, about 2 medium
- 1 large red onion
- half a bunch of curly kale (about 3 cups raw)
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus some for drizzling
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 cup grated gruyere
- In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and a pinch of salt. Mix with an electric mixer until the butter is creamy, about one minute. Add the flour and cornmeal and mix again. Add the egg yolks, mix again for 30 seconds. Add the ice water and mix until the crust sticks together and there is no dry flour left. Pat the crust with your hands into a 1 inch thick disc. Wrap it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to 24 hours.
- When your crust is ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Remove the kale stems and chop kale roughly into 2 inch pieces. Peel and slice the onion very thinly. Get a large bowl of cold water ready for the potatoes. Scrub the potatoes and slice them ⅛ inch thick or as thin as you can with a knife or a mandoline. Place the sliced potatoes in the water.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add the onions, blistering them for 2 minutes until they begin to brown at the edges. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook for about 8 minutes more until onions are soft. Add the kale and a pinch of salt. Saute the kale and onion together until the kale is wilted and has shrunk in size by half. Add another tbsp of olive oil to the kale while cooking if it's not wilting enough within 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- While the kale cools, remove your crust from the refrigerator. Grease a 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom or a greased shallow 9 inch pie dish with your butter. Using your fingers, press the crust into your tart pan until it fills the bottom and sides of the dish. This may take a little time and strength if the dough is still cold.
- Fill the bottom of the crust with your kale and onion mixture. Drain the potatoes and top off the kale and onion mixture by layering on the potatoes, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and fresh ground pepper. Top the potatoes with the grated gruyere. Bake for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender and the top is browned. Let it cool slightly before removing from the pan and serving.
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