Party or quiet meal? This potato-cheese tart fills either bill

This recipe is probably too late to be part of anyone's Super Bowl festivities except mine. But it's a great recipe to have in your back pocket, for any party appetizer or an impressive (but easy) side dish for home or potluck. It's similar to this great asparagus tart I tested for Sac Digs a few years ago, but less fussy -- no phyllo to handle.

This one starts with store-bought puff pastry, one of my all-time favorite pantry items. I used the Trader Joe's brand that I stashed away at the holidays, but Dufour's brand is available year-round, as is Pepperidge Farms'. Use what you like, but follow my suggestions for adjusting the amount of ingredients, since the TJ's pastry is 18 ounces, made with butter, and comes as two rolled pieces, while Dufour's is 14 ounces, one folded sheet, all butter. Pepperidge Farms splits the different: two folded sheets, 17.3 ounces, made with vegetable oil. They all come frozen, easily defrosted in the refrigerator.

Small waxy potatoes work best on this, and I recommend using several colors if you're showing off at, say, an Oscars-watching party.

Other adjustments: Try using feta instead of goat cheese, or use all ricotta cheese while topping the potatoes with grated Parmesan. I added the maximum amount of smoked paprika suggested in the New York Times recipe I adapted, since I planned to pair the tarts with grilled pork. But I could see cutting the paprika back to 1 teaspoon or leaving it out entirely and substituting minced fresh garlic to flavor the ricotta. Many possibilities!

Note: I steamed the potatoes the night before making this and also defrosted the pastry in the frig overnight. This made the final preparation much easier on a day when I've been distracted by Olympics news and the "Big Game" preparations.

Potato, cheese and herb tart

Serves 8 to 12 as a side dish, depending on size of puff pastry used

Ingredients:

1 to 1-1/2 pounds small waxy potatoes, a mix of colors if available

All-purpose flour, for dusting

One 14- to 18-ounce package frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator

8 to 12 ounces fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese

4 ounces plain goat cheese, room temperature

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or winter savory leaves, or a mix

Instructions:

Place the potatoes in a steamer basket and set in a large pot. Add water to just below the basket, place the pot on the stovetop, and bring to a boil. Steam the potatoes until cooked but still firm, about 15 minutes, depending on size. (Test at 12 minutes by piercing the skin of a few larger ones with the tip of a knife.) Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and allow them to cool at least 30 minutes, or overnight. (To speed this up, put the cooked potatoes in the refrigerator until needed.)

To prep the pastry: Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a lightly floured board, roll out the defrosted puff pastry. If using two sheets, they each should roll out to at least 9 by 9 inches. If using one 14-ounce sheet, 10 by 14 inches.

Transfer the pastry to a parchment paper-covered baking sheet (or two, if both don't fit on there). Using a small sharp knife, score the edge of the pastry, creating a 1/2-inch border all the way around the edges. Then prick the interior of the pastry all over with a fork; this prevents the middle from puffing up too much.

Bake the pastry on the top oven rack for 15 minutes, or until golden. If using two pastries on two pans, move the lower rack of the oven to the oven middle, put one there, the other on the top rack, and switch after 8 minutes.

Remove the baked pastry/pastries to a cooling rack or racks, and allow to cool while preparing the topping.

Slice the cooled potatoes crossways into 1/4-inch slices, leaving them in the bowl, and sprinkling with salt and freshly ground pepper.

In a medium bowl, mash together 1 cup ricotta, the goat cheese, the desired amount of paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt. If baking two tarts, add 1/2 cup more ricotta to the mix.

Using an offset spatula, spread the cheese mixture on the pastries inside the borders. Arrange the potato slices on the cheese in a single layer, creating a design with the colors if desired. (These struck me as looking like improvised quilt blocks when done, but then I am a quilter.)

Brush the potatoes with the melted butter, sprinkle on a bit more ground pepper, and put the pan/s back in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges of the cheese start to turn golden.

Remove the tart/s to the cooling racks and sprinkle with the herb leaves. Cut them with a large sharp knife or a pizza cutter into large squares a side dish or small finger-food-size pieces for serving as an appetizer.

Note: If you have extra potato slices, I highly recommend putting them on another baking pan, brushing with any leftover melted butter, salting them and roasting them for 15 to 25 minutes, depending preferred crunchiness. Another excellent party snack!