Of Tarts & Quiches

Ok, so the plan for Meatless Monday was to make leek & potato bake. As the name suggests it's leeks & potatoes "baked" in a slow cooker with cream, cheese, & seasonings. Well of course I got distracted & never  got around to setting up the slow cooker in the morning. So at 3pm it dawned on me that there was going to be no slow cooking going on so I had to find an alternative. I thought about making the bake in the oven, but the idea wasn't very exciting so I started considering my options. The first thing that came to mind was to make a leek & potato tart that I'd seen on The Chew so off I went to find the recipe. Since I didn't have a pre-made pastry crust I'd have to make one from scratch & with 3 small people that was not going to happen. "What about a potato crust?" I thought. Surely in all the web there should be a tart/quiche recipe that uses a potato crust. After lots of Googling I stumbled upon a potato-crusted quiche recipe at Food Network. So armed with the two recipes I came up with my own version...leek tart with sweet potato crust. 

The first thing I did was slice the sweet potatoes on a mandolin & toss with canola oil & seasoning. Yes I know olive oil would've been better, but you have to use what you have. After a thorough seasoning. I baked the potatoes and then lined an 8x8in baking dish with them. The original recipe called for a 9in pie plate, but I figured the deep dish would serve more people. And trust me, there are days when the little people eat like grownups so the more food available, the better.

Sweet Potato Crust

Next up was the filling. I fried up the sliced leeks in a bit of oil with some seasonings. If you've never cooked with leeks before, fear not..here's a  tutorial on how to prep them. 

Fried Leeks

I mixed the custard (aka milk & eggs), then stirred in the leeks plus some shredded cheese for extra oomph.

Filling Mixed & Ready to Go

Then it was time to bake & wait for the goodness to be done. Here's the final product.

Delicious Tart Goodness

So there you have it, my leek tart with sweet potato crust. The potatoes were crisp and caramelized in some places so that made for a tasty base to the rich eggs. We had it with a tomato salad on the side, but I'm sure some crusty bread would be a good addition as well. In any case, the munchkins cleaned their plates as did the grown-ups so it's definitely a keeper. I hope you try it & if you do, let me know what you think!

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Leek Tart with Sweet Potato Crust
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons oil (olive, vegetable, canola...whatever you have is fine)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 large leek
6 eggs 
3/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1 cup grated cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Slice the potatoes into thin ovals. I used a mandolin, but a sharp knife would work just as well. Toss the potatoes with 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp paprika, salt and pepper. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a large baking sheet, or 2 if necessary. Bake for 15 minutes. Line the bottom and sides of an 8x8in baking dish with overlapping potato slices.

Slice the leek as shown in the linked tutorial. Heat a pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp oil. Add the sliced leek and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp paprika, salt, and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 375deg. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk then add salt and pepper. Stir in the leeks and cheese. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the eggs are set in the center. (I bakes mine for 30 minutes originally then sliced only to have a runny mess so I put it back in the oven for an extra 20 minutes.) Cool for a few minutes before serving, 5 - 10 should be fine.