- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 medium russet potatoes (about 1 pound)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 head garlic
- 6 medium eggs
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed and spears cut in half
- 4 ounces fontina cheese
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Heat oven to 400°F.
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Grate potato on the coarse side of a box grater. Place grated potato in center of a kitchen towel. Wrap potatoes and squeeze out any liquid. Transfer potato to a large bowl, toss with salt and pepper.
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Grease a 10-inch pie pan or cast iron skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Press grated potato into the pan to form a crust.
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Cut off the tips of the head of garlic to expose the individual cloves. Place cut garlic head on a piece of small foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil then wrap the garlic into a small foil pouch.
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Bake the grated potato and garlic head in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes. The potato crust should be golden and crisp. The garlic should be soft and golden.
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While the potato crust is baking, whisk together eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Set aside.
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When potato crust is crisp, remove the potatoes and garlic from oven. Remove roasted garlic from the foil pouch. Using a butter knife or skewer, scoop out roasted garlic cloves.
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Place trimmed asparagus onto the crust in even layers. Scatter roasted garlic over the tart. Then pour egg mixture over the asparagus. Break fontina cheese into pieces and sprinkle cheese over the tart.
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Return the tart to the oven and bake another 25 to 30 minutes until eggs are set.
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Slice and serve immediately.
Seasoned Secret
Roasted garlic is so good! Often times I’ll throw in an extra head or two of garlic to roast and use throughout the week. The smaller cloves of roasted garlic can be challenging to remove so I usually use a chopstick or a seafood fork to remove the cloves. You could also make this tart in a square baking pan to accommodate the length of the asparagus spears.
Gluten-Free
I love that this recipe uses the crispy potatoes for a naturally gluten free crust! Other asparagus tart recipes often call for puff pastry which is not always easy to find or make in gluten free form.
Omnivore
There are plenty of options when it comes to adding meat to this gluten free asparagus tart. A breakfast tart would be great with cooked bacon, ham or sausage. Or serve grilled chicken and a green salad with this tart for a seasonal spring dinner.
Check the Fridge
If you can’t find fontina, any other soft, melty cheese such as Monterey jack, mozzarella, or Swiss will work. You could also try this tart with sweet potatoes instead of russet potatoes, or with Yukon or red potatoes. Just be sure the crust is cooked before adding the eggs!