Potato Tart Recipe
Potato herb tart savory appetizers
Potato and Herb Tarts
Potato herb tarts are savory appetizers and hors d'oeuvres. They can be made using rectangular tart pans and cut into five pieces. This recipe makes two rectangular potato herb tarts for ten servings. You can also cut the tarts into smaller bars. You can finish them with sour cream and fresh chives.
Tarts are quintessentially French, and potatoes, which became popular in French cuisine in the late 1700s, have been apart ever since. Here, I have combined the two into something you can share with friends and family to start a meal. You do not use a traditional tart crust; this recipe may be best considered potatoes prepared in tart pans.
You make these tarts with twice-cooked potatoes. It is best to make the tarts over two days: overnight refrigeration after the first cooking results in the best flavor. If you are entertaining guests the following evening, it is best to cook the potatoes the night before, prepare the potato mixture the next day, midday, press it into the tart molds, and refrigerate it for later cooking. Preparing the recipe partially beforehand allows you to pull the tarts from the refrigerator and put them into the oven for 30 minutes before serving. Each pre-cut tart serving is about 2-1/2" x 3-1/2". The individual sections hold together very well and make it easy for guests to serve themselves from a main serving platter to their plate. Each section, individually topped with sour cream and chives, gives an attractive presentation, and defines each serving.
Ingredients for Potato Tarts
2 pounds Russet Potatoes
4 Egg yolks
8 tbsp Unsalted Butter, divided.
1 tbsp Potato starch
1/4 cup, flour, all-purpose
1 tsp Tarragon, dried
1 tsp Chives, dried
1/4 tsp fine ground White pepper
1 tsp + 1/2 tsp Sea salt
1/2 tsp Rosemary, ground - powdered
1/2 tsp Honey
3/4 cup Sour Cream
Avocado oil spray
Instruction for Potato Tart Recipe
Peel and slice potatoes into even pieces about 1/2 inch thick. As you are working through cutting them, put the cut potato slices into a large bowl filled with clean water. It is best to keep a little water running into the bowl and flowing out. Submerging the raw potato slices in water prevents them from turning brown.
Remove potato slices from the rinse water. Place the slices in 12 quarts of water with 1 tbsp sea salt and boil for 12 minutes. When the water returns to a boil, time for 12 minutes. Remove the potatoes with a large, slotted spoon. Place the slices on a dish towel to remove excess water and let sit for about 1-2 minutes to dry some.
Place the slices on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with avocado oil to prevent sticking. Put the sheet into a preheated oven at 325°F to dry for 10 minutes. Remove the slices and place them in a container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours pre, preferably overnight.
Melt half the butter (4 tbsp) over low heat. When the butter has melted, quickly remove it from the heat and add the chives and tarragon. Before putting it into the food processor, let the butter-herb mixture cool, as you do not want it to be hot.
Add the cool potato slices to the food processor along with the dry ingredients: potato starch, salt, and white pepper. Pulse / chop them until the potatoes are small pieces the size of peas.
Then add the egg yolks and butter herb mixture. Puree for 1 to 2 minutes, periodically scraping the food processor container walls as needed.
The mixture should have a paste-like consistency. Lightly flour your work surface. Knead the potato mixture into a large rectangle about 6 inches x 9 inches. Divide lengthwise with a dough scraper. Coat the section, including the sides, generously with flour.
Lightly spray the tart pans with avocado oil and dust them with flour. Place each rectangular portion into its rectangular tart pan. With your fingers, press and form it evenly into the pans. Dust the top with flour and compress the layer slightly to achieve an even top. You can do this with the bottom plate of an extra tart pan. Place the spare bottom plate onto the tart, press down, and then remove the plate.
Melt half of the butter (4 tbsp) in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and stir the remaining 1/2 tsp of honey and rosemary powder. Brush the top of each tart with the butter-herb mixture. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook, or proceed to cook immediately,
In preparation for cooking, remove the plastic wrap and place tart pans on a rimmed sheet pan, as some of the butter may leak out during cooking. Cook in a preheated oven at 375°F on the middle rack for 30 minutes.
After cooking the tarts, you can easily remove them from the tart pans and transfer them to the serving platter. Cut each tart into five sections and top each with 1 tbsp of the sour cream and chive mixture.
Potato tart topping Tips
Add some bacon bits into the sour cream and chive mixture for savoriness.
Add shredded sharp cheddar cheese to the sour cream and chive mixture
If you are making a larger quantity of potato tart appetizers, you can make all three topping variants: plain sour cream with chives, with added bacon, and one with added cheddar cheese.
