bleu potatoes

I've had this recipe in my 'must make' pile for a few weeks now. Last week when it was raining insanely hard one evening it was the perfect night to invite mom over after work for this potato and bleu cheese tart. I know. Sounds a little weird. But would you expect any less? And if you're not a bleu cheese person, first of all, why are we friends, and secondly I guess you could sub goat or maybe feta but it will not be as awesome. So...mid way through making the dough I realize I don't have a pastry cutter OR a rolling pin. Have no fear, mom to the rescue. I pulsed the dough in a blender lieu of a pastry cutter and my mom suggested using a pint glass to roll out the dough. Genius. Besides putting the bottom of the tart pan in upside-down (hence the lack of a lone tart piece pic) I think it came out well. It was pretty and delicious, though I think next time I will add a more pungent gorgonzola or roquefort. The bleu I used was quite mild because I was afraid a stronger cheese might over power. Not true. Go for the good stuff. I just used thyme as the herb on top but had it not been raining I would have gone down to the courtyard by the pool in my building and picked some rosemary. Yes, there is legit rosemary bushes, huge ones, downstairs. I love fresh herbs but they don't keep for very long and I hate wasting them so this is perfect.

Tart Shell
1 1/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons butter, diced
1 large egg

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch and salt. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender, or pulse in a blender. Add one egg and mix with a fork until a dough forms.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie plate or tart pan and press to remove any air bubbles. Level the edges, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Proceed with a filling of your choice, no parbaking required.

Red Potato and Bleu Cheese Tart

1 Tart Shell, above, or recipe of your choice, in a 9-inch tart pan and ready to fill

1 pound small red potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 cup heavy cream

1 large egg yolk

1/4 pound blue cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)

1 tablespoons finely chopped herb or herbs of your choice, like thyme and/or rosemary

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan, cover potato slices with water by two inches and add some salt. Simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. If the potatoes don’t seem very dry, pat them dry with towels.

Arrange potato slices, overlapping slightly, in concentric circles around the tart pan. Sprinkle blue cheese over potatoes. Whisk cream and egg yolk together and pour into tart shell, then sprinkle tart with herbs of your choice and salt & pepper.

Bake tart on a baking sheet (don't skip this part mine seeped out the bottom because of the whole upside-down tart pan bottom thing) until bubbling and golden brown, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on rack and serve warm or cold. With a big green salad, for balance.