This is a beauty of a galette–redolent with lightly-caramelized onions, loaded with tender potatoes and sitting atop a layer of Boursin cheese and a generous crisp crust. There is a lot of love here.
A galette, by the way, is a rustic free-form tart from the French baking tradition. As the story goes, the galette dates back to Norman times when it was referred to as a “gale” or flat cake. Bon Appetit Magazine once wrote of the galette that it has that “Oh, I just threw this together” type of charm. Who doesn’t want that vibe at their table once in a while?
There is a lot of versatility with this galette, too. It could easily be the main event on your dinner plate or a hearty side. Or, pair it with an egg for breakfast. Or nibble it right off the tray as I’m doing right now.
As a bonus, this is an easy crust. Pretty, too.
This isn’t Blue Cayenne’s first rodeo insofar as galettes are concerned. Find an outstanding Tomato, Goat Cheese and Honey Galette here and a gorgeous fruit galette here. Come to think of it, why not try them all?
This recipe is adapted from one that appears in Bake From Scratch Magazine (available here).
Potato and Onion Galette
Ingredients
- For the Galette Filling:
- 1 T. unsalted butter
- 2 C. thinly-sliced sweet onion (or yellow onion)
- 3/4 t. kosher salt
- 1/4 t. granulated sugar
- 1/8 t. ground black pepper
- 2-3 T. dry sherry
- 12 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 Five-ounce container of Boursin Garlic and Herb Cheese (room temperature)
- 2 t. oil
- 1 large egg (lightly beaten)
- For the Galette Crust:
- 1/2 C. cold unsalted butter (cubed)
- 1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
- 1 T. chopped fresh thyme
- 3/4 t. kosher salt
- 1/3 C. ice water
Directions
- Step 1 Prepare the pie dough. Whisk flour and salt together.Put the flour mixture and the thyme into a food processor with the cold cubed butter. Blitz for a few moments until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is broken into medium-sized pieces. Slowly drizzle the ice water into the flour mixture and process until the dough begins to come together. Pour the crumbly dough mixture out onto your counter and press it together until you have a ball of dough. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using it.
- Step 2 To make the filling for the galette, melt the tablespoon of butter in a medium-sized non-stick pan. Slice the onion and sauté in the melted butter until the onion is soft and just beginning to brown. Add 1/4 t. kosher salt, the sugar, and the pepper and mix. Cook the onion mixture for about 10 minutes until the onion is a pretty golden brown. Add the sherry and cook briefly until the sherry has evaporated. Remove the onion mixture from the heat and put in a glass bowl. Set aside.
- Step 3 Prepare the potatoes by cutting off the ends of the potatoes. Do not peel them. Slice the potatoes into thin rounds. I used the slicer attachment on my Breville Food Processor. Put the potato slices in cold water for a few minutes, then pat them dry and toss with remaining salt.
- Step 4 Roll out the galette dough. You want a circle of dough measuring about 14 inches. This can be a sticky dough, so it is easier to roll out the dough on a piece of parchment.
- Step 5 Spread the cheese evenly across all but about two inches of the edge of the circle.
- Step 6 Spread half of the cooled onions on top of the cheese. Again, leave a two inch border around the edge of the dough.
- Step 7 Arrange the sliced (and dried) potatoes on top of the onions in an overlapping circle. Brush the top of the potatoes with oil.
- Step 8 Fold the clean two-inch edge of your dough up and over the filling. Scatter the remaining onions on top of the galette. Brush the dough with the lightly-beaten egg. Bake the galette for 35 to 45 minutes. You may want to give your galette a bit longer in the oven to be sure your potato slices are baked through and tender but watch the galette carefully if you do this. When your galette is baked, the crust will be a beautiful golden brown.
- Step 9 Cook’s Note: This galette heats up very well in the microwave.
