Potato Crusted Silverbeet and Feta Tart

, from Issue #31. September, 2015
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth.
Potato Crusted Silverbeet and Feta Tart

Serves: 6–8

INGREDIENTS

Crust
800 grams floury potatoes, such as Agria
1 egg
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons melted butter
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary or thyme
3 cups packed, shredded silverbeet
1 cup sour cream
5 eggs
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
150 grams feta cheese
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Grease a 26 cm x 3.5– 4 cm deep loose-based tart tin or metal pie tin very well and place on a baking tray. This catches any filling that leaks from the tart.

Crust: Peel and coarsely shred the potatoes. A mandolin or food processor with a grating attachment is best for this. Whisk the egg, cumin and garlic in a large bowl and toss through the potato. Add the melted butter, season generously and toss well to coat.

Press the mixture into the tin, bringing it up the sides as you would with pastry. Bake for 30 minutes. As it cooks, remove it from the oven several times and lightly press the crust with the back of a spoon as the potato softens, pushing it against the sides and base and sealing any holes in the crust, until crisp and golden.

Filling: Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan and cook the onion, garlic and thyme until soft. Add the silverbeet, season and cook until tender. Cool for 10 minutes.

Whisk the sour cream, eggs and mustard in a large bowl and season. Set a third (50 grams) of the feta cheese aside and crumble the rest into the silverbeet mixture. Combine, tip into the potato crust and crumble the remaining feta over the top. Dot over the tomatoes and scatter with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the filling is golden and firm to the touch. Serve hot or warm with sautéed Brussels sprouts or salad.

Don’t wash the grated potato in water as the starch helps bind the crust together.

If using a box grater to grate the potatoes, a lot of liquid will come out. Place the grated potato in a clean tea towel and wring tightly to remove excess liquid.

Use 1 teaspoon ground cumin if you don’t have cumin seed.

Use a flavoured feta such as pesto.

Spinach can be used in place of the silverbeet.