Flans and Baked Dishes Recipes - Small Herb Tartlets with Tomato Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 250 g/9 oz potatoes, cooked floury

• 60 g/2 oz (4 tablespoons) butter

• 120 g/4 oz porridge (rolled) oats

• 3 eggs

• salt

• pepper

• 4 tablespoons dried Italian herbs

• butter for the baking sheet

• 1 can chopped tomatoes (400 g/14 oz)

• 250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) tomato juice

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 onion  

• 1 handful chopped basil leaves

Serves 4

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Method:

1. Cook the potatoes in their skins for about 25 minutes. Peel the boiled potatoes and mash with a fork.

2. Bring 200 ml/7 fl oz (7/8 cup) water to the boil in a saucepan with the butter and remove from the heat. Add the porridge (rolled) oats and eggs little by little.

3. Bring back to the boil while stirring and continue until the mixture detaches itself from the sides of the pan. Add the potato puree. Season with salt, pepper and herbs. Put the dough in the refrigerator and leave to rest.

4. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6. Butter a baking sheet generously.

5. To make the tomato sauce: put the chopped tomatoes and juice in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer without a lid for about 20 minutes.

6. Peel the clove of garlic and the onion. Chop finely and add to the tomato sauce. Add the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Leave the sauce to cool down.

7. Form the dough mixture into about 18 tartlets and put on the baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven until golden brown. Serve hot with the cold tomato sauce.

Note: The secret of these tasty herb tartlets lies in the dough which is made from boiled potatoes, butter, eggs, spices and herbs. Even better is that this sophisticated flan looks much more complicated to make than it really is!