Potato & Fontina Tart with Smoked Fish

Name: Potato & Fontina Tart (with Smoked Eel)
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 x 375g butter puff pastry sheet; 1 x 600g smoked eel, flesh picked (optional); 400g Dutch cream potatoes, peeled and very finely sliced; 1 brown onion, very finely sliced; 1/3 cup crème fraîche; 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted; 125g fontina, rind removed, sliced; Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 25g butter; 8 sage leaves, torn; 1/2 cup watercress sprigs

This deliciously versatile potato & fontina tart can be vegetarian, but potatoes and smoked fish are such natural partners that I like to add smoked eel or hot-smoked rainbow trout. If using whole smoked eel you’ll need about a 600g fish to yield 300g flesh. If Fontina’s not available, use any mild washed rind cheese, I’ve used Tasmanian Heritage Red Square and also Vannella smoked scamorza with great results. I use Carême butter puff pastry (it’s already the right dimensions) and Pepe Saya naturally-cultured crème fraîche. Serve this potato and fontina tart with a textured Rosé de Provence such as La Chapelle Gordonne from the Vranken Pommery stable.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 x 375g butter puff pastry sheet (13oz)
300g hot-smoked rainbow trout or eel (10½oz; optional)
400g Queen May or Dutch cream potatoes, peeled and very finely sliced (14oz)
1 brown onion, very finely sliced
⅓ cup crème fraîche (80ml)
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted
125g fontina, rind removed, sliced
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten
25g butter (1oz)
8 sage leaves, torn
Handful watercress sprigs

Method

Place a baking tray in the oven and preheat to 210°C (410°F).
If necessary, place pastry on a sheet of baking paper and gently roll out to 27cm x 35cm (10½″ x 14″).
Using your hands, toss fish, potato, onion, crème fraîche and caraway together well.
Spread in an even layer over the pastry leaving a 5cm (2″) border and ensuring the potato slices aren’t stuck together.
Top with cheese and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Fold the edges of the pastry up to partially enclose the filling.
Brush well with egg.
Bake for 30–40 minutes, until well coloured. Set aside to rest for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan, add sage and fry for a minute or so, until crisp.
Pour over the tart, top with watercress, cut into squares and serve.