Do you want to taste heaven on a plate? This recipe for potato tartlet is a delicious way to enjoy potatoes taken to a new and higher level - paired with rosemary and lemon and served with a decadent pecorino cheese fondue. The original recipe is in the book and paired with lardo or bacon, however Vincenzo recently modified the recipe to include lemon instead of bacon for a cooking class at Figue. The result is a dish that is so comforting and lovely, you'll want to give it a try!
The inspiration for adding lemon juice and lemon zest came to us after our last visit to Italy. We were eating at a local Osteria in Rome and had a dish that included potato puree with lemon. We both decided that the taste combination was incredible and that he would try adding lemon to this recipe when we got home. I would guess by the reaction of the class participants who tasted this and cleaned their plates while making happy sounds, it was a bit hit.
Here is the recipe. Feel free to comment or message me if you have any questions.
Potato Tartlet with Lemon and Rosemary
Chef Vincenzo Giangiordano
Ingredients
Potatoes
2 pounds baking potatoes (russets are perfect)
2 tsp. salt
¼ cup olive oil
½ lemon (use the zest and juice)
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
Spray oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Instructions
Prick the potatoes with a fork in a few places and place the potatoes on a sheet pan. Bake the potatoes for one hour. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 20 minutes. Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the potatoes from the skins. Place the potatoes in a large bowl. Next, use a ricer to rice the potatoes. If you don’t have a ricer, you can mash them by hand with a potato masher.
Add the salt, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and rosemary (feel free to adjust the lemon and rosemary to taste) to the potatoes and mix well.
Spray eight individual 6-ounce ramekins with spray oil. Spoon the potato mixture into the ramekins until full – pack well.
Place the ramekins together on a sheet pan and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
While the potatoes are in the oven. Make the cheese fondue to serve over the potatoes.
Cheese Fondue
12 ounces heavy cream
14 ounces pecorino cheese (grated)
Instructions
Warm the heavy cream over medium to low heat on the stove until it starts to steam. Lower the heat to low and continue to warm for another minute. Add the grated pecorino cheese and continue to warm another minute until the cheese melts into the cream. Stir well. Remove from heat.
Use an immersion blender to mix the cheese sauce into a smooth fondue, or strain out larger pieces of cheese using a fine mesh strainer if preferred.
Topping
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (chopped)
Mix together chopped rosemary with ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil for finishing over the cheese sauce.
To finish the plate
Remove potato tartlets from the oven and turn over onto a plate so that the potato tart falls out onto the plate.
Spoon the cheese sauce over warm potatoes and finish with a drizzle of olive oil mixed with chopped rosemary.
