Beetroot and potato tart with horseradish and Roquefort


	Roquefort on a blue plate by Elda Abramson

Taken from "Vegetable Heaven" by Catherine Mason
(Pauntley Prints, 2002, ISBN: 0-9534879-3-6, price £20.00)
[other sample recipes]

A fragrant, savoury tart, equally good served warm or cool, this could be either a main course or a starter. All the vegetables could be prepared and cooked ahead of time if more convenient.

To prepare fresh beetroot, wash the roots thoroughly but don't peel them. Don't pierce the skin or trim the roots or shoots, as this makes them bleed during cooking. The leaves can be twisted off at about 5 cm. If the leaves are in good condition, don't throw them out but cook them like spinach – they are very tasty. Raw beetroot can be simmered in water or wrapped in foil and baked in the oven. Cooking times vary greatly but, as a guide, start testing boiled beetroot after about 45 minutes, baked after about an hour. The oven temperature is not critical and can be varied to suit whatever else is being cooked. Beetroots are done when they yield slightly to finger pressure. If you don't want to use them immediately they are best stored un-peeled in a sealed food container in the fridge.

Ingredients

1 sheet ready rolled shortcrust pastry
3 heaped teaspoons creamed horseradish
2–3 small salad potatoes, washed and cut into bite-sized chunks
2 small onions, peeled and cut lengthwise into wedges about
2–3 beetroots, boiled or baked in their skins until tender
salt and pepper
120 g Roquefort cheese
15 g butter, melted

Oven temperature: 220°C (425°F, Gas mark 7)

Put the pastry on a metal baking sheet, fold over and crimp a 1 cm rim around the edge. Prick the pastry all over with a fork (to stop it rising in the middle) and bake the empty case on the middle shelf in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the creamed horseradish over the base. You may need to dilute it with a small amount of extra cream or hot water.
Simmer the potato chunks in salted water until they are just tender (5–8 minutes), adding the onion wedges to the potato cooking water for the last 2–3 minutes of this time. Drain the potatoes and onions thoroughly.
Peel the cooked beetroot and cut into wedges or chunks, as you prefer. Arrange the potatoes, onions and beetroots close together in a single layer on the pastry. Leave the beetroot till last, otherwise it will stain the spuds and onions. Season with salt and pepper, and crumble the cheese over the tart using your fingers.
Use a pastry brush and dab the melted butter onto any exposed areas of vegetable that are not directly covered with cheese. Put the tart back in the oven for a further 10–15 minutes, until browned and bubbling.

SERVES 4 AS A MAIN COURSE, 8 AS A STARTER