Vegan Cheesy Potato and Leek Tart
This Vegan Cheesy Potato and Leek Tart is layer and layer of flavour. The classic combination of cheese, leek and potato makes for a delicious dish. Get the recipe below.
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Vegan Homity Pie
This Vegan Cheesy Potato and Leek Tart is actually very similar to a British dish known as the Homity Pie.
Homity pie is an open topped pie containing a filling of potatoes, onion, leek and cheese. This recipe may not include the extra onion but other than that it’s very similar to a Vegan Homity Pie.
My twist on this classic British dish is just as delicious. Extra thyme, added to the pastry and the filling gives it an extra layer of flavour that Homity Pie just doesn’t have. In my opinion that makes it all the better!
Vegan thyme pastry
There are two key elements to this dish: the pastry case and the filling.
The pastry used for this tart is one of my favourite shortcrust pastry variations. I love to add herbs as it just gives the dish something extra special.
Thyme is perfect for this as it’s quite a strong her with small leaves which dot the pastry beautifully so it looks as good as it tastes.
How to make shortcrust pastry
To make the vegan shortcrust pastry it’s the same method that you would use to make regular shortcrust pastry.
Luckily, these days you can buy really good butter substitutes – Flora and Naturli are my two favourites and they can be found in most UK supermarkets.
In terms of method, all you need to do is rub the fat and the flour together into it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Stir in the thyme and some cold water and then bring together into a ball of pastry dough.
It is essential you chill the dough and give it time to rest before baking with it.
How to blind bake a pastry case
Blind baking pastry is where you cook it without any filling. This ensures you have a crisp pastry case that doesn’t get soggy when you add your fillings.
To blind bake a pastry case you line your tin, cover the pastry with baking paper and baking beans and then cook for 15 minutes. To finish blind baking you then remove the baking beans and bake for another 10 minutes. This gives the case a nice golden colour.
If you don’t have baking beans you can used dried beans or even rice.
Now you’ve blind baked your pastry case it’s ready to fill!
Vegan Cheesy Potato and Leek Tart filling
You can have a Vegan Cheesy Potato and Leek Tart without the cheesy potato and leek filling.
The cornflour added to the cream, thyme and cheese helps it to set rather than spilling out of the pie when cut.
Par boiling the potato and cooking off the leeks makes sure they are perfectly cooked when in the oven.
Layering the ingredients makes sure every bite has a piece of potato, leek and lots of creamy cheese!
The recipe
Vegan Cheesy Potato and Leek Tart
Equipment
- 1 7 inch tart tin
- baking beads or dried beans or rice
Ingredients
For the pastry case
- 250 g plain flour
- 125 g vegan butter chilled, cut into cubes
- 1 tbsp thyme leaves
- 4 tbsp cold water
For the filling
- 1 large potato cut into slices
- 0.5 leek cut thinly
- 1 tbsp butter
- 150 ml vegan cream
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 3 tbsp thyme leaves
- 150 g vegan cheese grated
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
To make the pastry case
- Add the flour and cubes of vegan butter to a bowl.
- With cold hands, rub the flour and vegan butter using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Mix in the thyme leaves then add the cold water, using a butter knife.
- Bring it together into a ball and knead briefly until it holds together.
- Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least half an hour.
- While the pastry is chilling, pre-heat the oven to 200C / 400F / gas mark 6.
- Once chilled, roll out into a large circle that's big enough to line the tart tin.
- Carefully line the tin with the pastry pushing into all of the groves.
- To trim the pastry, roll your rolling pin over the top of the tin until the pastry excess is cut off.
- Scrunch up a piece of baking paper and place over the pastry, pour over the baking beads.
- Place the pastry in the oven and blind bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the baking paper and baking beads and bake for another 10 minutes until just golden and crisp.
To make the filling
- Par boil the potato slices until just becoming soft.
- In the meantime, fry the leeks in a little butter.
- Pour the cream into a bowl along with the cornflour, half of the grated cheese and the thyme and mix well. Season to taste.
- Once the pastry case has finished baking, sprinkle half of the remaining cheese over the base followed by some of the leeks and potato slices.
- Keep layering the leeks and potato slices until all used up.
- Pour over the cream mixture then sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
- Place into the oven and bake for 45 minutes until the mixture is bubbling and cheese is melted and golden.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly, this will give the cream filling time to set.
- Serve while warm.
Nutrition
More dinner recipes
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