Sweet potato and spring garlic tart

"The cheese, nuts and eggs in this tart contain all the protein you need for a great meat-free option. Spring garlic is the first garlic of the season, before the papery skin develops. If you can’t find spring garlic, you could use young leeks instead. Otherwise, regular garlic cloves will do – just make sure you peel them." Matthew Evans, For the Love of Meat

Credit: Alan Benson

• serves

  6

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  1:10 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 700 g sweet potato cut into rough 2 cm pieces
• 100 ml olive oil
• 70 g walnuts
• 2 whole heads spring garlic, plus the green stalks, thinly sliced lengthways
• 3 eggs
• 125 ml (½ cup) pure cream
• 100 g fresh goat’s cheese, crumbled
• 3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked

Pastry

• 150 g (1 cup) plain flour
• 50 g (⅓ cup) wholemeal flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 120 g cold butter, diced
• 2 tbsp cold water  

Chilling time 1 hour 30 minutes

Instructions

To make the pastry, sifting the flours and salt onto a work surface. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre, then sprinkle in the cold water and use your fingertips to combine. Working quickly, bring the mixture together to form a dough, adding a little extra water if required. Shape into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out between 2 sheets of baking paper into a round about 5 mm thick. Press the pastry into a 20 cm tart tin with removeable base. Trim the excess pastry by passing your rolling pin across the top of the tin. Prick the base with a fork, line with baking paper and fill with baking beads or dried beans. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking.

While the pastry rests, place the sweet potato on a baking tray. Drizzle with a little of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper, tossing to make sure everything is covered, then roast for 20 minutes or until golden and tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. 

Place the walnuts on a separate baking tray and toast for 8- 10 minutes or until starting to colour. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C. Blind bake the tart shell for 15 minutes, then remove the beads and baking paper and bake for another 5 minutes or until dry and light golden.  

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan over high heat and cook the sliced spring garlic until just wiled and lightly coloured. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream and season well with salt and pepper. Arrange the sweet potato and garlic in the tart shell, then scatter the goat’s cheese, walnuts and thyme over the top. Place the tart shell on a baking tray, pour over the egg mixture, then bake for 30 minutes or until the tart is golden and the centre is just set.

Serve with a large garden salad.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Vanessa Austin. Food preparation by Alex Herbert.

For The Love of Meat with Matthew Evans starts Thursday 20 October at 7.30pm on SBS and then on SBS On Demand.  Visit the program page for show information, related articles and more recipes. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.