Elegant enough to serve at a party, yet simple enough to throw together for a quick evening meal or impromptu happy hour snack, this tart combines mellow potatoes with assertive (and uber healthy) dandelion greens.  The unassuming potato is the perfect foil for bitter green leaves—tempering the bite, while taking full advantage of the pizzazz the leaves offer a sometimes ho-hum winter root. The topping for this tart is equally tasty as a side on its own, when there’s no time to thaw a package of pastry.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2 large Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 half bunch dandelion leaves, tough stems removed and discarded, leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 oz goat cheese or feta cheese
• 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed (I prefer Dufour brand, found at Whole Foods)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Warm oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add onion, and sauté for a few minutes.  Add potato slices to the pan.  Season with salt and pepper, and cook until potatoes are almost tender and have begun to brown, stirring frequently.  Add a small amount of water to the pan to prevent potatoes from sticking.  Add dandelion greens and garlic and stir.  Cook for 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool slightly.  Crumble in the cheese, stirring carefully.
3. Remove puff pastry from package and cut into 4 squares.  Place pastry on two parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing squares several inches apart from each other. Spread potato/greens mixture across pastry squares.  Leave about one inch of pastry uncovered along the outer perimeter of each square.
4. Bake until crust is puffed and golden (about 15 to 20 min).  Serve hot or cooled to room temperature.