This deliciously versatile potato & scamorza tart can be vegetarian, but potatoes and smoked fish are such natural partners that I like to add hot-smoked rainbow trout or eel. Scamorza is an aged mozzarella, ideal for melting into all sorts of dishes. You can use either plain (bianca) or smoked (affumicata) scamorza for this recipe. I love the way the smokiness of Vannella Cheese scamorza affumicata echoes the flavours of the smoked fish, their smoked buffalo mozzarella works just as well. I use Carême butter puff pastry (it's already the right dimensions) and Pepe Saya naturally- cultured crème fraîche. If your sage leaves are large, cut out and discard the thick central stem. In the video below you’ll see me layer the sliced cheese on top of the tart, but it works even better if you grate the cheese and mix it through the filling as detailed below.
This recipe is part of our series 'Busting The Myth That Cheese & Seafood Don't Mix' in collaboration with Roberta Muir. Visit our socials for more video recipes from this series.
Serves 2–4
1 x 375g Butter Puff Pastry Sheet (13oz)
150g Hot Smoked Rainbow Trout, or Eel meat, flaked (5½oz)
200g Dutch Cream Potatoes, peeled and very finely sliced (7oz)
90g Scamorza Affumicata (or Wood Smoked Buffalo Mozzarella), coarsely grated (3oz)
1 small Brown Onion, very finely sliced
1/4 cup Crème Fraîche (60ml)
1 tsp Caraway Seeds
Salt flakes and freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste
1 Egg, lightly beaten
25g Butter (1oz)
10 small Sage leaves, torn
Handful Watercress Sprigs
Place a baking tray in the oven and preheat to 200°C (400°F).
Place pastry on a sheet of baking paper and, if necessary, gently roll out to 27cm x 35cm (10½ x 14″).
Using your hands, toss fish, potato, scamorza, onion, crème fraîche, caraway, salt and pepper, together well.
Spread in an even layer over the pastry leaving a 5cm (2″) border and ensuring the potato slices aren’t stuck together.
Fold the edges of the pastry up to partially enclose the filling.
Brush well with egg.
Bake for 30–40 minutes, until well coloured. Set aside to rest for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan, add sage and fry for a minute or so, until crisp.
Pour over the tart, top with watercress, cut into squares and serve.
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