Potato, Ham & Gruyere Tart

This tart reminds me of quiche. It's a delicious way to use up leftover ham!

Potato, Ham & Gruyere Tart

Savory Tart Dough, rolled into a 10-inch round
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 russet potato, about ½ lb (250 g) , scrubbed
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 shallots, minced
½ tsp minced fresh thyme
3 ½ oz (105 g) Black Forest ham, cut into 1/3-inch dice (about ¾ cup)
½ cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) plus 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
1 large egg
Large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2/3 cup (2 ½ oz/75 g) firmly packed shredded Gruyere cheese

Make the Savory Tart Dough:

1 ½ cups (7 ½ oz/235 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
Salt
10 Tbsp (5 oz/155 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4-5 Tbsp (2-2 ½ fl oz/60-75 ml) ice water

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and ½ tsp salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Slowly begin adding the ice water, stirring and tossing with a fork until the dough just holds together. Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball, and flatten into a disk. Lightly flour the work surface, then flatten the disk with 6-8 gentle taps of the rolling pin. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn. Lightly dust the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed, then roll out, lifting and turning the dough and dusting the surface as needed. Fold the dough round in half and carefully transfer to a 9-inch tart pan, preferably with a removable bottom. Unfold and ease the round into the pan, without stretching it, and pat it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim off any excess dough by gently running a rolling pin across the top of the pan. Press the dough into the sides to extend it slightly above the rim to offset any shrinkage during baking.

Refrigerate or freeze the tart shell until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place an oven rack in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 375°F.

Partially blind bake the tart shell by placing parchment on shell & topping with pie weights or raw rice. Bake in lower third of the oven for 20 minutes or until pale gold. Remove pie weights and parchment. Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any drips when you bake the tart.

To make the filling, in a pot of salted boiling water, cook the unpeeled whole potato until tender when pierced with a small knife, about 30 minutes. Drain and let cool. Peel and cut into 1/3-inch cubes.

In a heavy frying pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the shallots and thyme and sauté until the shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup (5 oz/155 g) of the potato cubes (reserve the remainder for another use). Stir the potato cubes to coat with the shallot mixture, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the ham.

In a small bowl, beat together the cream, egg, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, and nutmeg.

Spread the potato mixture evenly in the crust. Sprinkle with the cheese and pour the cream mixture evenly over the top. Bake the tart on the upper rack until the top begins to brown and the center is set, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes. If using a tart pan with a removable bottom, place the pan on a large aluminum can or canister and let the sides fall away, then slide the tart onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe source: The Williams Sonoma Cookbook