BAKE: Potato and Goat Cheese Tartlets with Dill

• Potato Goat Cheese Tartlet Ingredients
• Kitchen Equipment Needed
• How to Make Potato & Goat Cheese Tartlets
• Storage & Serving Ideas
• Potato and Goat Cheese Tartlets with Dill

These buttery potato and goat cheese tartlets are the ultimate comfort food indulgence… A flaky butter crust or puff pastry case surrounds a filling of tender slices of golden potato, a rich goat cheese bechamel sauce thickened with roux, eggs, and cheese, and bright green sprigs of tangy dill (or other fresh herbs).

You can use this filling to make bite-sized mini-tarts for elegant canapes or passed appetizers, or make larger individual tartlets. If you don’t have tart rings or small pans, you can improvise with a muffin tin and a large ring-cutter. Or, use a regular tart pan or even a pie plate (you’ll need to bake a full-sized tart longer than the individual tarts) and cut into slices to serve.

This savory potato and goat cheese tart makes a fantastic vegetarian entree or first-course with a salad of baby greens, or pair it with thin slices of tenderloin or grilled steak or fish for a main course. While those are delicious with a simple pan sauce, consider adding a side of horseradish dill crema, which is delicious with these potato tarts as well!

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Potato Goat Cheese Tartlet Ingredients

Flaky pastry crust or puff pastry:

This is the foundation of these tarts, so don’t scrimp on the quality here!

I like to make my own all-butter flaky pastry crust, but you can also use a quick rough puff pastry, or frozen sheets of puff pastry, thawed and fitted into your tart pans.

If you use puff pastry, make sure you “dock” it after fitting it into your pans or tart rings (this means pricking or poking the bottom crust of the pastry pastry all over with a fork or pastry docker- this crimps the layers so that they do not rise too much and dump out your filling while they bake).

Make the tart crusts in advance so that they can chill for several hours before rolling them out, or make sure you pull your puff pastry sheets from the freezer to thaw overnight (or follow manufacturer instructions for store-bought shells).

Yukon gold-type potatoes:

True Yukon gold potatoes are quite hard to find now, but any similar golden potato will do. If you can’t get those, use waxy red or blue potatoes for the best texture.

In a pinch, you can use russet potatoes, but make sure you don’t overcook them or they will crumble and fall apart when you try to slice them.

You can peel the potatoes after boiling, or leave the skins on as long as they are thin and delicate. If you use russets, you’ll want to definitely peel them after they cool.

Goat cheese:

This recipe uses creamy, tangy Montrachet-type goat cheese. Any similar soft, un-aged fresh goat cheese without a rind will work.

If you don’t like or can’t find goat cheese, you can substitute cream cheese, but the filling will be mild and somewhat bland in comparison.

Milk & cream:

You’ll get the best results with whole milk for the bechamel.

The mixture is further enriched with heavy cream or creme fraiche (cultured heavy cream), though you could substitute sour cream, or use half and half instead the heavy cream for a lighter pastry filling.

Roux:

Use butter and all-purpose flour for the roux. Do not substitute whole wheat or gluten-free flour. Watch and whisk your roux carefully while it cooks so that it doesn’t burn or brown… you want a white or light blonde roux for this sauce.

Eggs:

Whole large eggs are carefully tempered into the simmering goat cheese sauce. These thicken the filling, and add protein and richness to the potato tarts. If you leave these out, your filling will not set and will stay soft and runny.

Seasonings:

Salt, pepper, fresh or dried dill leaves, and nutmeg (preferably freshly grated).

You can substitute fresh or dried chives, thyme, or tarragon leaves for the dill for a different flavor profile, or experiment with your favorite fresh herbs in season!

Snipped chives are a 1:1 substitution by volume, but if you use other herbs, you will probably want to reduce the quantity quite a bit if they are stronger or more pungent than the fresh dill.

Kitchen Equipment Needed

heavy-bottomed saucepan & whisk:

You’ll need a large saucepan with room to whisk your bechamel sauce and add the goat cheese. Choose a pan with a heavy bottom, so that your sauce doesn’t burn or scorch.

tartlet rings or tart pans:

I use 4″ stainless rings meant for griddling English muffins, crumpets, or baking perfectly round sandwich rolls, but work great on a sheet pan for individual tarts with a sturdy dough.

You can also use full-sized or mini tart pans, or two regular (not deep dish) pie plates. You’ll need to adjust the baking time for larger tarts, and either reduce the heat a bit or cover them with foil if they’re browning before the crusts and filling are baked through.

rolling pin (not needed for frozen puff pastry):

If you made your own flaky pastry crusts, you’ll need to roll them out. If you are using store-bought puff pastry, just thaw it (follow instructions on package), roll it a bit thinner, cut and fit it into your tart pans. Remember to dock the crusts well if you use puff pastry, or your filling will not stay in the tarts!

How to Make Potato & Goat Cheese Tartlets

one: poach potatoes

• Scrub and trim potatoes, leaving the peels on, and place in a pot of lightly salted water just to cover.
• Simmer over medium to low heat until they are just fork-tender. Do not overcook the potatoes, which should still be firm.
• While the potatoes are cooking and cooling, make the bechamel and roll out the pastry dough. You can also cook and chill the potatoes ahead of time.

two: make bechamel

• In a medium saucepan with a heavy bottom, melt the butter over medium heat. Do not let the butter brown.
• Add the flour all at once and quickly whisk until it is all incorporated with the butter into a thick paste. It will clump at first, then loosen and bubble as the roux cooks.
• Whisk continuously over medium-low heat for several minutes. Do not brown the roux. Reduce heat if needed.
• Slowly pour in the milk, whisking vigorously as you add it until the sauce is smooth. It may clump at first, but don’t stop stirring and it will loosen up and smooth out.
  • Pre-heating the milk slightly will help prevent lumps, but isn’t necessary if you whisk vigorously while adding the milk in a slow, steady stream.
• Simmer over low to medium low heat until the sauce thickens, stirring frequently so that the bechamel doesn’t burn.

three: temper in eggs and goat cheese

• Whisk the salt, pepper, nutmeg, minced garlic and dill into the thickened bechamel sauce.
• Remove the thickened sauce from the heat, and whisk in the softened goat cheese and stir until smooth, then add the heavy cream or creme fraiche and stir again until incorporated.
• Crack the eggs one at a time in a bowl, and whisk in a spoonful of the hot bechamel mixture. Add this egg and sauce to the pot of goat cheese sauce, whisking as you add the egg until it is smooth and there are no lumps.
• Repeat this for the second egg, then cover and keep the sauce in a warm place but off direct heat.

four: slice cooled potatoes

• If you like, you can peel the potatoes or leave the skins on if they are thin (these will give you slightly more rustic tarts, but keeps the nutrition and fiber from the peels in your dish).
• Slice the potatoes into even 1/4″ thick slices.

five: roll out pastry crust

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry crust 1/4″ thick.
• Using a pastry cutter, pizza wheel, or paring knife, or a large circle cutter, cut out rough circles about an inch larger than the diameter of your tart rings or pans.
• Roughly fit the crusts into the rings or tart pans. Avoid re-rolling the pastry dough by using scraps to fill out any holes or gaps in the sides or bottoms of the tartlet crusts.
• Use a fork to gently prick the base of the tart crusts, especially if you are using puff pastry.
• If you have extra pastry dough, you can wrap and save it for another recipe, or cut out small decorative shapes (leaves, stars, hearts, letters, etc) to garnish the tops of the tarts before baking.

six: fill potato tarts

• Divide the sliced potatoes among the tart pans, and line the bottoms of them with a single layer of cooked potato.
• You can trim the potatoes to fit and get even coverage, or layer them if you have more than will fill the pans in a single layer.

seven: pour over goat cheese sauce

• Use a ladle to divide the goat cheese and egg bechamel sauce among the pans.
• Spread the sauce gently to cover the potato slices and completely fill the tart shells.
• Optional: decorate the tops with a pastry cut-out if you have leftover pastry dough.

eight: bake goat cheese & potato tartlets

• Bake the tartlets at 400 F for 25 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 F.
• Bake another 15-20 minutes, or until the crusts are lightly golden and the filling is set and beginning to color.
• Let the tarts cool in the rings or pans just until the filling is setting up. Once the rings or tart pans are cool enough to handle (but still warm), remove the tartlet rings or the sides from the tart pans.

Storage & Serving Ideas

These potato and goat cheese tartlets are delicious served warm from the oven, but can also be served cold, at room temperature, or rewarmed gently in the oven or microwave.

Garnish them with sprigs of fresh dill for a pop of color, or serve with horseradish dill crema or a side salad.

You can wrap these tightly and freeze them for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator, or warm directly in a moderate oven on a baking sheet (300-350F).