Swiss Chard Tart with Potato Crust

Had a wonderful weekend despite the hot and humid weather. We went for several runs in the local state park, spent a few hours at the beach, drank some margaritas, and made a couple of trips to various farmers' markets - all in all, an excellent weekend! As a result, I have several new recipes to share with you this week and am starting with this wonderful Swiss Chard Tart from one of my favorite cookbooks, believe I've mentioned it before, Stonewall Kitchen, Harvest. I was able to pick up a beautiful mix of red, pink, and golden yellow Swiss Chard and immediately thought of this recipe - it's quick, easy, beautiful, and it will not disappoint - guaranteed!

Swiss Chard Tart with Potato Crust

Makes 2 tarts; each serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. Swiss chard
1 lg clove garlic, very thinly sliced
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
2 lg high-starch potatoes, unpeeled & scrubbed clean
3 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 heaping C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 lg eggs
2 C ricotta cheese

Trim the stems from the chard, wash the leaves thoroughly, drain and dry. Coarsely chop the chard. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbps of the oil over medium heat. Add half the chard and half the garlic and cook, stirring frequently. As the chard cooks down, add the remaining chard and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring until chard is just tender. Tilt the skillet to the side and blot up any excess liquid with paper towel. Let cool.

To make the crust, slice the potatoes very thinly. It's fine if some of the slices are smaller than others - the important thing is to make them fairly uniform in thickness. Create a thin layer of the potato slices on the bottom of the two pie plates (preferably glass), slightly overlapping them to create a solid bottom "crust." Gently tuck potato slices along the edges to create a border up the sides of the pie plates. When you're done, you should have two solid pie "crusts." Use thin or oddly shaped potato slices to fill in any gaps. Discard the remaining slices. Drizzle 2 Tbsp of the oil over each crust, swirling the pan slightly so the oil spreads between the potato layers and drips to the bottom. Sprinkle each crust with 1/2 tsp of thyme, some salt, and pepper, and a heaping 1/4 C of Parmesan cheese.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl and whisk in the ricotta, the remaining 2 tsp thyme, and the remaining 1/2 C Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooled sauteed chard and mix well. Divide the filling between the two pie crusts and press down lightly.

 

Bake the tart for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for another 10 minutes. The potato crust should turn brown and crisp, and the filling should feel solid and firm when gently touched with your fingers. Let cool about 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.