Root Vegetable Tarte Tatin from Epicurious

This recipe came in my email inbox this week from Epicurious. Their picture was stunning and enticed me to try it as soon as I possibly could. I have to say that adding pastry to anything takes it up a notch, both visually and for its gustatory enjoyment.

This is a dish that deserves a place at a vegetarian meal as the entrée. Most people like a little brown sugar on their sweet potatoes. Me, I like butter. Next time I would skip the carmelized sugar in the bottom of the pan. It was too sweet for my taste.

I prefer to use my cast iron pan for tarte tatin. It is essentially a pan that releases well without using a lot of fat. It holds the temperature nicely and the dark colour allows for optimal browning of pastry.

Having said that, this did not completely come out of the pan for me. I think I left it a tad too long and would be better inverted on a serving plate while it is still bubbling a bit. Some of the sweet potato slices stayed in the pan but were easy enough to take out with a spatula and arrange atop the pie.

Root Vegetable Tarte Tatin

• 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled, sliced into 1/2" rounds
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled sliced into 1/2" rounds
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, sliced into 1/2" rounds
• 1 medium parsnip, peeled, sliced into 1/2" rounds
• 1 small red onion, sliced into 1/2" rounds
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
• 4 ounces fresh goat cheese
• butter pastry for single crust pie
• All-purpose flour (for surface)

Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 400°. Toss potato, sweet potato, carrots, parsnip, and onion with oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper and arrange vegetables in a single layer. Roast until golden around the edges and tender, 30-35 minutes. Let cool.

Meanwhile, cook sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over mediumhigh heat, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is amber-colored, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and add vinegar and a pinch of salt, swirling pan to combine. Quickly pour caramel into a 9"-diameter pie pan; tilt and rotate pan to evenly coat bottom with caramel. Scatter rosemary and sage over top.

Arrange potatoes, carrots, and parsnips snugly in a single layer on top of caramel, using smaller carrot and parsnip pieces to fill in any holes. Scatter onion rings and crumble goat cheese over vegetables.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12" round. Drape over vegetables, tucking edges into pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until crust looks dry, about 20 minutes; reduce heat to 350° and bake until crust is golden brown, 15-20 minutes.