Asparagus and Potato Tart

Over here at Hotly Spiced Headquarters, we’re starting a 10-day series on covering recipes from blogs that have inspired, intrigued and impressed me.  Some of these recipes have also either brought a nostalgic touch or thrown me an incredible challenge.  I have seen all of these recipes on blogs I subscribe to and at the time of discovering them, I’ve thought, ‘I’m going to make that’.  And time goes by, (sometimes years), and these recipes that have attracted my attention, sadly, never get made.

Can be served warm, hot or cold

Can be served warm, hot or cold

But I’m bringing these recipes back to life and on this journey we will be travelling from here to New York and back again.

Ready for the oven

Ready for the oven

We’re starting on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast with a vegetarian tart from the Orgasmic Chef that is a blog by my good friend, Maureen.  Maureen is American but for the last 20 years has been living in Australia so we’ve adopted her.  On Maureen’s blog you don’t only find great food, you also enjoy a story told with great humour.

Having a rest

Having a rest

Maureen is not only quick-witted, she is a very generous and kind soul who has done so much to help promote other people’s blogs.  She used to run a series where every week she would interview a blogger and then write a positive and interesting story on that person.  Reading these stories had the benefit of introducing you to new bloggers and helped give you a more rounded understanding of bloggers you had been following.

Resting after the cooking

Resting after the cooking

But behind the scenes and away from what she publishes, Maureen knows I’m very technically challenged.  When my blog vaporised, she and her IT-savvy husband spent hours helping me sort out the carnage and rebuild my blog with a new host.

An asparagus and potato tart

An asparagus and potato tart

Maureen and John aren’t idle and besides everything else they have going on, they have created a plug-in called Easy Recipe which has made life so much easier for those of us who like to print recipes from blogs.  The plug-in is very user-friendly, taking it right down to an imbecile’s level (Maureen kindly calls them, ‘non-geeks’), so that even people like me have no trouble using it.

Perfect for a lunch with the girls

Perfect for a lunch with the girls

There are many recipes on Maureen’s blog that I adore but I’m sharing with you her Asparagus and Potato Tart because here in Oz, asparagus is in season.  You can buy fresh, local asparagus for a great price and as it is one of my most favourite vegetables and while it’s so available, I’m making the most of it.

Vegetarian!

Vegetarian!

In cooking this asparagus tart, I didn’t have a tart dish the same size as Maureen’s so used one slightly larger.  In my version of the recipe, I’ve increased the quantities to match the increased volume.  Maureen also cooks the potato first and then adds it to the tart but I used a mandolin to finely slice the potatoes then added them straight to the tart without any pre-cooking.  When it comes to adding the cheese, I used three types; cheddar, Persian feta and parmesan – because that’s what I had in the fridge.  You can prevent the asparagus from shrivelling by covering it in buttered paper during the cooking process but I don’t mind a bit of shrivel.

This vegetarian tart doesn’t cost the earth to make, can be enjoyed hot, cold or warm and it’s terrific for a weekend lunch.

5.0 from 9 reviews
Asparagus and Potato Tart
Author: 
Recipe type: Vegetarian Tart
Cuisine: Australian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
A vegetarian potato and asparagus tart.
Ingredients
  • 2 tbspns butter, melted
  • 5 sheets filo pastry
  • 4 large waxy potatoes, very thinly sliced, (I used a mandolin)
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 300mls (10 fl ozs) pouring cream
  • 4 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbspn finely chopped parsley
  • 1 tbspn fresh thyme leaves
  • pinch freshly grated nutmeg
  • salt and pepper
  • 250gms (9 ozs) cheese (I used a combination of cheddar, Persian feta and parmesan)
  • 20 spears fresh asparagus, woody ends snapped off and discarded
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 180C (375F).
  2. Lightly butter a 32cm x 22cm (12in x 8.6in) tart tin.
  3. Butter each sheet of filo and place in tart tin making sure pastry overhangs the edge of the tin.
  4. Arrange potato slices on top of pastry.
  5. In a medium-sized bowl combine eggs, cream, shallots, herbs, nutmeg and season and stir well to combine. Pour over potato slices.
  6. Combine cheeses and spread over the top of egg mixture.
  7. Place asparagus on top of tart, lining the spears in the same direction.
  8. Brush edges of pastry with butter.
  9. Place in oven for 35 - 40 mins or until egg is set.
  10. (If asparagus spears appear to be shrivelling, cover them (not pastry) with baking paper that's been buttered.
  11. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

To see Maureen’s version of the recipe and to enjoy a great range of other recipes, you can visit her blog.

Can be served warm, hot or cold

Can be served warm, hot or cold

Coming up tomorrow….something nostalgic and sweet.

Comments

  1. Great Charlie…. I’m always inspired by other bloggers and love making their recipes… hence my recipe of the month! I just saw some organic spatchcocks the other day and thought ohhh, I can make Charlie’s Spatchcock in Verjuice! I’m looking forward to the asparagus tart i have just order 2 bunches in my organic produce box this week 🙂 Liz x

  2. Charlie – I love this feature of yours! What a wonderful idea! I also happen to love Maureen! Asparagus and potatoes have been two of my favorites – but together in a tart – wow!

  3. I adore Maureen. She is truly one of the kindest, most generous and wickedly funny souls to inhabit the planet. She and John are such lovely people! 😀

  4. David Lovell says:

    Wow , that sounds delicious. One of our neighbours sells plump white asparagus from his farm which is usually devoured with some walnut oil and balsamic vinegar , Sadly it will be at leat six months until his next crop – meanwhile I’ll look forward to the rest of your series!

  5. Awww now I’m getting all gloopy. You are one of the kindest people I know. 🙂 Thank you for this shoutout.

  6. Combining sometimes pricey asparagus with always affordable potatoes results in a hearty and filling dish. And the exotic phyllo pastry lends elegance so you can serve it to company. Both impressive and elegance. Kudos, Maureen for the inspiration. I know I’ve been inspired by your blog.

  7. That looks like a perfect dish for brunch. I’ll pin this to my own “I’m going to make that” list. I’ll check out Maureen’s blog, too.

    • What a great idea Charlie. Its going to be great seeing your creations. Maureen adopted me into her family just recently and I was very glad she did because we are all just silly internet crazy cooking people and we need each other . True Charlie?

  8. You beat me to it! I’ve been meaning to do a series like this forever! I too think of making all the wonderful things I see but just never get around to it! I still may.
    I can’t wait till asparagus season here. This tart looks fantastic and Maureen is pretty cool too.

  9. So yummy & not super fiddly either. I love the combo of cheeses too.

  10. Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables. I have fond memories of cutting it from roadside ditches by my childhood farm.

  11. Beautiful recipe and great feature of Maureen and her site! She has a great sense of humor and amazing recipes. I enjoy reading both of your blogs! Drooling over your photos!

  12. What a terrific new series! I’m a huge fan of Maurenn as well, and you CAN’T claim her as Australian 😉 But maybe we can share her. From one non-geek to another, you picked a terrific recipe to recreate.

  13. I can’t pick my asparagus quick enough at the moment Charlie, in the morning it’s just about big enough but by the afternoon it’s shot up to about a foot high! I’ll have to make this next week, with you and Maureen both loving it,it must be delicious indeed! 🙂 xox

  14. What a fabulous looking tart (I adore asparagus), and Maureen sounds like a terrific lady. If my blog vanished, I would not know what to do.

  15. What a great idea, Charlie! I’ve been printing off recipes from other people’s blogs for the past two years and they are beginning to pile up. This tart looks delicious and what a pretty presentation it makes. 🙂

  16. G’day! What a lovely looking tart that i wish I could try today Charlie!
    I am a big fan of Maureen’s too!
    Cheers! Joanne

  17. I love Maureen’s recipe so I know I will love this tart. Gorgeous photos too. I don’t know if I can get my kids to eat asparagus but this might do the trick or hid them under the potatoes…

  18. that tart is beautiful – I bought some asparagus recently with good intentions and just ate it plain but I think this is really the way to feature it! And I think it will be interesting to see the bloggers you feature – always a great way to get to know other blogs better

  19. Agree 100% with all you said about Maureen, Orgasmic Chef. I too am a follower of her blog and has learnt and inspired by her.

  20. This is my first visit to your site and I love it. Here in California asparagus is not in season . My all time favorite is the white asparagus .

  21. Maureen is my blogging mother (she told me herself :P) and I love her to bits! What a gorgeous tart, full of veggies 🙂

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  22. Asparagus is one of my favourite veggies so I’ll definitely be trying this recipe … sounds delicious!

  23. That was a particularly beautiful recipe from Maureen… and you have done it proud Charlie xo

  24. PS I love Maureen to bits too!

  25. Beautiful dish!

  26. I’m looking forward to this series, Charlie. I certainly relate to the fact that I bookmark so many recipes or ideas I find on blogs and I always have such good intentions, but time gets away from all of us. Your idea to feature favorites and get through some of the recipes that caught your eye is a great idea. This tart is delicious looking, and I will have to make a visit over to Orgasmic Chef!

  27. My Kitchen Stories says:
    October 13, 2014 at 6:06 pm
    What a great idea Charlie. Its going to be great seeing your creations. Maureen adopted me into her family just recently and I was very glad she did because we are all just silly internet crazy cooking people and we need each other . True Charlie?

    I have no idea how I just posted this comment as a reply above ….Maureen help!

  28. yum yum this looks so delish. i love asparagus too, and this is making me drool. and you have plated it up so beautifully charlie!

  29. Haha non-geek here too and just yesterday Maureen and John helped me set something up on my blog. They are both wonderful! This looks delicious Charlie!

  30. I love the idea of this new series because pretty much everything I make is inspired by other bloggers and I have learned so much through them.

  31. I LOVE this recipe!

  32. What a great series! I love Maureen’s blog — great food, and an incredible sense of humor. And this tart is lovely — thanks.

  33. Maureen is one of my favourite people in the blogosphere, and we haven’t even met in person yet! Your take on her tart looks superb, Charlie!

  34. I just spotted the link to these in Facebook.. how exciting is this?! I will really enjoy going through your travels with you! I have a loosely similar tart but no where near as ingredient filled as this one! I will have to try this with company this fall!!

Trackbacks

  1. […] down from the Sunshine Coast where we tried Maureen’s Asparagus and Potato Tart, is the second stop on our 10-part journey.  It’s the Gold Coast which is about a three-hour […]

  2. […] far in this series we’ve made a vegetarian tart, baked some melt-in-the-mouth cookies, braised some ribs cooked in rum and coke and pickled some […]

  3. […] Asparagus and Potato Tart from The Orgasmic Chef. […]

  4. […] Asparagus and Potato Tart from The Orgasmic Chef. […]

  5. […] The Orgasmic Chef’s Asparagus and Potato Tart […]

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