Potato-Crusted Goat Cheese Tart with Heirloom Tomato Salad

By tammy1365

by chef Jonathan Sawyer

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup goat’s milk
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon chicken fat or olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet onions (such as Vidalia or Maui), halved, thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves (preferably fresh)
• 1 large fresh thyme sprig
• 1 1/2 teaspoons butter
• 1 1-pound russet potato, peeled, sliced into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
• Vegetable oil (for deep-frying)
• Melted butter
• Chopped fresh thyme
• 4 ounces coarsely crumbled semiaged goat cheese (such as Midnight Moon from Cypress Grove or Onetik Chabrin; about 1/2 cup), divided

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from epicurious.com

Preparation

Step 1

For goat's-milk béchamel:

Melt butter in
small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in
flour. Cook 30 seconds, whisking constantly.
Whisk in milk and nutmeg. Simmer until
sauce thickens and comes to boil, 1 to
2 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Press
plastic wrap onto surface and chill.

For caramelized onions:

Preheat oven
to 350°F. Heat chicken fat in large ovenproof
skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions;
sprinkle with salt. Sauté until onions are
light golden, about 14 minutes. Stir in bay
leaves and thyme sprig; dot with butter.
Place skillet in oven; bake until onions
are dark golden, stirring often, about 30
minutes. Transfer onions to bowl; discard
bay leaves and thyme sprig. DO AHEAD: Can
be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

For potato crust:

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Line large baking sheet with parchment
paper. Soak potato slices in large bowl of
cold water 15 minutes. Drain well; pat dry.

Add enough oil to heavy medium skillet
to reach depth of 3/4 inch. Place over medium
heat; attach deep-fry thermometer and heat
oil to 325°F. Working in batches, add potato
slices to oil and cook just until softened
but not brown, about 2 minutes per batch.
Using slotted spoon, transfer potato slices
to prepared baking sheet in single layer
and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Brush inside of four 4-inch-diameter tart
pans with melted butter. Line each pan with
overlapping potato slices. Cover bottom of
each potato crust with 1/4 of onions; sprinkle
with chopped thyme. Spread 1 generous
tablespoon béchamel over. Sprinkle each
with 1 tablespoon goat cheese.

Place tarts on small baking sheet. Bake
until filling is heated through and potato
crust browns, 18 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle
each with remaining goat cheese.

Push up pan bottoms, releasing tarts.
Arrange tarts on plates. Spoon Heirloom
Tomato Salad alongside and serve.

Shopping tip:
Fresh bay leaves are
available with other fresh herbs in the
produce section of most supermarkets.
Goat's milk is sold at many supermarkets
and at natural foods stores.