Tartiflette galette (cheese and potato tart)

Name: Tartiflette galette (cheese and potato tart)
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6-8
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 700g kipfler potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced; 30g butter; 4 banana shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds; ½ tsp sugar; 200g pancetta, finely diced; 5 garlic cloves, crushed; 10g thyme, a few sprigs reserved, remaining leaves picked then finely chopped; 100ml white wine; 100g sour cream; ¼ tsp cracked black pepper; 250g Reblochon or Camembert, sliced into thin wedges; green salad, to serve

Helen Goh

July 11, 2024

Serve this rich and cheesy tart with bitter winter leaves or steamed greens.William Meppem

Time:1-2 hoursServes:6-8

For Bastille Day, I’ve taken two French classics and put them together to create this indulgent, open-faced, cheese-and-potato pie.

The pastry is easy to make, but you could also use a good quality shop-bought one, such as the sour-cream shortcrust by Careme.

Serve the tart with some bitter winter leaves or steamed green beans and broccolini dressed with a punchy Dijon vinaigrette.

Ingredients

FOR THE FILLING

700g kipfler potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
30g butter
4 banana shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
½ tsp sugar
200g pancetta, finely diced
5 garlic cloves, crushed
10g thyme, a few sprigs reserved, remaining leaves picked then finely chopped
100ml white wine
100g sour cream
¼ tsp cracked black pepper
250g Reblochon or Camembert, sliced into thin wedges
green salad, to serve

FOR THE PASTRY

180g plain flour
70g spelt flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cracked black pepper
150g unsalted, fridge-cold butter, cut into 3cm cubes
30ml ice-cold water
30ml fridge-cold milk
1 tsp lemon juice
1 egg, beaten, to glaze

Method

Step 1
To make the pastry, place the flours, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mix is the consistency of fresh breadcrumbs, then tip out into a large mixing bowl. Add the water, milk and lemon juice and incorporate into the dry ingredients with a flexible spatula until a shaggy dough forms. Knead gently in the bowl for a few seconds to bring the dough together in a ball. Wrap loosely in cling film, then press to form a flattened disc and refrigerate for at least one hour (or up to 2 days).
Step 2
For the filling, place the potatoes in a large saucepan of cold, salted water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until just tender. Drain and set aside.
Step 3
Heat the butter in a large frypan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes, then stir in the pancetta and cook for 4–5 minutes or until the onions are golden-brown. Add the garlic and chopped thyme, stir until fragrant, then pour in the wine and cook for a further minute or until slightly reduced. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream and pepper. Carefully fold through the potatoes and three-quarters of the cheese. Set aside.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 190C fan-forced (210C conventional).
Step 5
Remove the pastry from the fridge and tap it all over with a rolling pin to soften slightly. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the pastry onto a large piece of baking paper to make a circle about 38cm across and 3mm thick. Leaving a clear border of about 6cm all the way around, spoon the tartiflette mixture into the centre of the pastry and top with the remaining cheese. Fold the clear pastry border over the outer edge of the filling, pleating it loosely at intervals to form a slightly ruffled edge, then brush the border with the egg wash.
Step 6
To transfer the galette onto a large oven tray for baking, slide a large pastry scraper (or the loose metal base of a cake tin) underneath the baking paper to lift the galette, along with the paper, and place on the tray. Put the tray in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until golden-brown and cooked through.
Step 7
Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before topping with the reserved thyme sprigs and serving with a green salad.