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8 & $20 Recipe: Roasted Vegetable Tart and a French Rosé
This easy one-pan dish makes for elegant weeknight entertaining
Eight ingredients. That's all it takes to make an entire meal from scratch. Add in a good bottle of wine for less than $20, and you've got a weeknight feast for family or friends. That's the philosophy behind our "8 & $20" feature. We hope it adds pleasure to your table.
Got any zucchini? Just kidding! Of course you have zucchini. It’s August, which means summer squash is piling up. The real question is: What are you going to do with it all? My colleague Catherine Sweet brought in some beautiful squash from her garden last week, providing the perfect reason to try out this recipe for a zucchini and potato tart, which is great for feeding a group. The inspiration is a little bit Roman pizza and a little bit Provençal tart, all thinly sliced vegetables atop a crusty pastry. Potatoes cooked in saffron add a nice aromatic note, and a watercress salad is a super easy side.
For the wine pairing, there’s a couple ways you could go. Try a fuller-bodied white to match up with the richness of the puff pastry. Or a dry, light colored rosé also works well; the fruity notes pick up some of the sweet roasted character of the vegetables, and the acidity lifts the buttery pastry.
Summer Squash and Potato Tart with Watercress and Goat Cheese Salad
Pair with a French rosé such as Coeur Estérelle Côtes de Provence Rosé 2010 (89 points, $15)
Total Time: 40 minutes
Approximate Food Cost: $26
- 1 generous pinch saffron threads
- 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced into thin rounds
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted
- 2 zucchini, cut into thin rounds
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Olive oil
- 6 cups watercress
- 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a medium saucepan, toast the saffron threads over medium-high heat until they become aromatic, around 30 seconds. Add the potatoes, 2 teaspoons of salt and cover with water. Let the water come to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are barely done, around 15 minutes. Strain and let cool.
2. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry onto a greased baking sheet and prick the surface all over with the tines of a fork. Brush the top of the pastry with olive oil, then sprinkle with fine salt. In a large bowl, toss the zucchini slices and potato slices with olive oil to coat, and salt to taste. Layer the slices closely on top of the pastry, alternating rows of zucchini and potato, and leaving a 1⁄2-inch border around the edges. Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake until the crust turns a golden-brown color, around 20 minutes.
3. While the tart is cooking, make a salad dressing by whisking together 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss the watercress and the crumbled goat cheese with the dressing. Divide the salad onto four plates and serve with a slice of the tart. Serves 4.
