Mini potato tart appetizer with fish, cheese spread, and yogurt sauce
One evening, with some leftovers in the fridge, I decided to try something new and made these mini tarts with potatoes, smoked fish, cheese, and a quick yogurt sauce. The combination isn’t exactly classic, but they disappeared from our table pretty quickly. I also served some fish croquettes on the side since I had a large tray available, but the tarts were the real surprise. Quick Info Total time: about 45 minutes Preparation time: 25-30 minutes Baking time: 12-15 minutes Servings: 6 mini tarts (depends on the mold used) Difficulty: easy-medium Recipe type: appetizer or light dinner Ingredients Mini tarts: 4-5 medium potatoes salt, to taste 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons finely grated cheese 50 ml milk or condensed milk (condensed milk gives a creamier texture) 1/2 smoked mackerel Filling: 100 g fresh cow cheese 2 tablespoons finely grated cheese zest from 1/2 lemon (only the yellow part) salt and freshly ground pepper 1 egg yolk Sauce: 4 tablespoons yogurt (preferably 10% fat) 1 small pickled cucumber salt and pepper a few fresh mint leaves 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 clove of garlic For greasing the molds: 2 tablespoons olive oil a little white flour Preparation Method 1. Boiling the potatoes Peel the potatoes, cut them into pieces, and boil them in salted water. When they are soft, drain them. 2. Basic puree Mash the boiled potatoes as you would for mashed potatoes. Add salt, butter, milk or condensed milk, grated cheese, and finely chopped smoked fish (I blended it to make it as homogeneous as possible). Mix everything and let the puree cool. 3. Preparing the molds Grease the mini tart molds with olive oil and dust them with a little flour. I usually use small tart molds, but muffin tins work as well. 4. Shaping the base When the puree is warm and workable, place 2 tablespoons of the mixture in each mold. With a wet hand, press the mixture against the edges and bottom, leaving a depression in the center for the filling. 5. Cheese filling Mix the fresh cheese with the grated cheese, egg yolk, a little salt and pepper, and lemon zest. The filling should be relatively compact. 6. Filling the tarts Place a good teaspoon of filling in the center of each tart, over the potato and fish puree. Sprinkle a little pepper on top. 7. Yogurt sauce Finely chop the pickled cucumber, garlic, and mint leaves. Mix them with the yogurt, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Keep the sauce chilled until the tarts are out of the oven. 8. Baking Place the tray with the filled molds in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 12-15 minutes. If you have fish croquettes, you can place them alongside on baking paper. 9. Serving Take them out of the oven and, if you have patience, let them cool for 5-10 minutes. They are easier to remove from the molds once they cool. Serve them with the yogurt sauce and, if desired, with fish croquettes. Why I make this recipe often It’s a great recipe when I have leftover smoked fish or boiled potatoes. It doesn’t require expensive ingredients. It can be made quickly, and they don’t usually last from one day to the next. The tarts are easy to adapt, and the yogurt sauce balances the flavor if something turns out too salty or dry. Tips and Variations Tips Let the tarts cool for 5-10 minutes in the molds; otherwise, they may break when removing them. For the puree, I don’t use a blender to avoid it becoming sticky. I don’t add too much lemon zest to the filling, just enough to lightly taste it. When shaping the bases, I use a wet hand; otherwise, the puree sticks. Substitutions The smoked fish can be replaced with another type of smoked fish, like trout or herring, if you don’t have mackerel. Fresh cow cheese can also be substituted with ricotta or whey cheese, but it changes the texture. Condensed milk can be replaced with regular milk. Variations If you don’t want cheese, you can use grated telemea cheese, just be careful with the salt. Fresh herbs (parsley or dill) can be added to the puree or the filling. Instead of croquettes, you can serve it with baked vegetable rounds. Serving Ideas I serve them as a cold or warm appetizer. They can be placed on a platter alongside other snacks. With a green salad, they can also serve as a main dish, especially in summer. Frequently Asked Questions Can the potatoes be boiled in advance? Yes, you can use boiled potatoes from the previous day, but let them reach room temperature so you can mash them easily. Can I use another type of fish, not smoked? Yes, but smoked fish provides the main flavor. If you use plain cooked fish (boiled or steamed), it will be milder in taste and may require more salt. Does the yogurt sauce have to be made with mint? No. If you don’t have mint, you can make it without, but mint adds a fresh note. Dill or parsley can also be added. How well do the tarts come out of the molds? If they are left to cool a bit, they come out relatively easily, especially if the molds were well greased and floured. If you rush, there’s a risk they might break at the edges. Can I make one large tart instead of mini tarts? Yes, the mixture can be placed in a larger tart mold, but the baking time may be slightly longer. Nutritional Values Approximately, for one mini tart (out of 6): Calories: 120-140 kcal Protein: 6-7 g Fat: 6-7 g Carbohydrates: 12-14 g Values may vary depending on the type of cheese, grated cheese, and fish used. The yogurt sauce adds an additional 10-15 kcal per tablespoon, depending on the yogurt chosen. Storage and Reheating The tarts keep in the fridge for 1 day, at most 2, in a covered container. I don’t recommend reheating in the microwave because the potato base becomes soft. If you want to eat them warm the next day, I place them in a cold oven and set it to 160°C until they warm up slightly. They are best freshly made.
Preparation
The potatoes are peeled and placed in salted water to boil. From the boiled potatoes, a puree is made, which is mixed with salt, butter, milk (I used condensed milk), grated cheese, and finely chopped fish processed in a food processor for a finer texture. All the ingredients are mixed and the resulting puree is allowed to cool. The mini tart molds are greased with olive oil and lined with a little white flour. We put 2 tablespoons of puree in each mold and, with a wet hand, fill the molds, leaving space in the middle for the filling. Filling: We mix the cheese with the grated cheese, egg yolk, salt, and a little lemon zest. We fill the center of the tarts with the filling and sprinkle a little freshly ground pepper on top. Sauce: We chop the pickled cucumber as finely as possible, as well as the garlic and mint, add yogurt, salt, and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. I placed the mini tarts in the large oven tray, next to them I placed some fish croquettes on a baking paper, and put the tray in the preheated oven at 200 degrees for 12-15 minutes. I served the tarts with fish croquettes and yogurt sauce. Enjoy your meal! Let the tarts cool before removing them nicely from the molds; I only let them cool a little because we were too hungry and they are not very presentable.
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