by Chef Randy
Tarte Tatin is generally an upside-down tart of apples or other fruit. This one features vegetables and is a cross between my Back To Our Root Vegetables and Tomato Tarte Tatin recipes. It combines tasty root vegetables with fresh herbs and puff pastry. In addition to taste, this dish looks amazing when brought to the table.
Ingredients:
1 medium new potato (peeled and sliced
½-inch thick)
1 medium rutabaga (peeled and sliced
½-inch thick)
2 medium carrots (peeled and sliced
½-inch thick) 1 medium parsnip (peeled and sliced
½-inch thick) 1 small onion (peeled and sliced ½-inch thick)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
⅓ cup sugar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (chopped)
1 teaspoon fresh sage (chopped)
1 sheet puff pastry
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Liberally spray a 9 or 10-inch round baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. I use a 10-inch round (not fluted) white Corning Ware quiche dish for this.
Add the first six ingredients (potato through oil) to a large plastic bag and toss all vegetables until evenly coated with oil. Pour vegetables onto a rimmed baking sheet and spread out into a single layer. Bake until tender – about 35 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
While the vegetables are roasting in the oven, cook sugar with 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat and add vinegar and a pinch of salt, again stirring to combine. Quickly pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish. This will taste good but mostly helps with providing a “sticky” base for the arrangement of the roasted veggies.
Arrange potatoes, rutabaga, carrots, and parsnips in a single layer in the baking dish. Try to arrange them so they are very close to one another. Use smaller carrot and parsnip pieces to fill in any open spaces. Sprinkle herbs (rosemary and sage) on top of veggies. Scatter onion rings on top of this layer.
Cut the sheet of pastry to fit baking dish. Place the sheet on top of the vegetable mixture. Bake until brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
To serve, use what I call the “upside-down pineapple cake maneuver”. Carefully run a knife around the inside of the dish to loosen the side crust. Put a large round plate on top of the dish and, using a hot pad, hold the pan against the plate and flip them over together. Tap the bottom of the dish to make sure tart has not stuck to bottom. Bring to the table with pride.