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A crispy and flaky puff pastry tart with prosciutto cotto (Italian ham), oozy fontina cheese and potatoes. This tart is really easy to make, filling, satisfying and unbelievably delicious. Perfect for lunch, dinner or an antipasto.
Welcome to double carb, cheesy goodness. This puff pastry potato tart is such a delicious thing to make if you have guests coming round (it’s so good with drinks and other nibbles) or as a light lunch or dinner.
I just use store-bought puff pastry as it’s so quick and easy, prosciutto cotto (Italian ham) and one of my favourite Italian melting cheeses, fontina!
I’ve tested this recipe with both waxy and floury potatoes and both work well so use whatever you have to hand.
Below I’ve got some ingredient substitutions, delicious nibbles and drinks you can serve it with and variations to try. For the full written recipe, see the recipe card below and enjoy!
Ingredients
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Pin ItIngredient notes and substitutions
- Puff pastry – I buy this in a ready rolled out rectangular sheet. If you buy yours in a block just roll it out about 4mm (just over 1/8 inch) thick. The sheet I use is about 30x20cm (8×11.5 inches).
- Prosciutto cotto – this is Italian ham but use whatever ham you have and like to eat.
- Fontina cheese – I love fontina because it still has a lot of flavour when melted. Another good substitute is gruyere (I’ve used this a lot) or comet. You want to use a semi-hard cheese that melts well.
- Potatoes – again, I’ve used both floury and waxy potatoes for this. Recently, I’ve been using maris pipers which are pretty similar to Russet in the US.
- Parmigiano Reggiano – I use this for coating the potatoes (so delicious) you could also use Pecorino Romano.
Visual walk-through of the recipe
See our step-by-step photos below to give you a visual representation of the recipe. The full written recipe with our top tips can be found in the recipe card below.
- Cut and cook potatoes – wash and peel the potatoes then cut them into small cubes about 1cm in size. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well, par-boil the potatoes for 10 minutes then drain them in a colander (photos 1-3).
- Prep the pastry base – using a fork, prick a border around the pastry about 1 inch wide then prick randomly around the base. Cover the inside of the pastry with slices of ham (I find 4 slices to be enough) making sure you leave the border free then top the ham with grated fontina cheese (photos 4-6).
- Add the potatoes – add the drained potatoes to a large mixing bowl and add a good pinch of salt, a drizzle of olive oil and the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Toss everything together then layer the potatoes on top of the ham and cheese (photo 7).
- Brush and bake – fold the edges of the pastry up and pinch it place then brush the edge with beaten egg (photo 8). Bake in the oven at 180C/350F for 35-40 minutes until the crust the golden brown and potatoes cooked through. Let it sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Variations
- Herby potatoes – you could toss the potatoes in a finely chopped woody herb such as rosemary or thyme.
- Breadcrumbs – I’ve occasionally tossed the potatoes in a few tablespoons of breadcrumbs and parmigiano before layering on top of the tart. It adds a little extra crunch which is nice.
- Ham alternatives – you could use prosciutto crudo (cured) or parma ham instead of cooked ham.
Nibbles and drinks to serve with it
I love to serve this cheesy potato tart as an aperitivo with other nibbles and drinks. See some of our favourites below.
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Step By Step Photos Above
Most of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
Potato Tart with Fontina and Ham
Equipment
- 15×10 inch Baking tray
- Baking parchment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Wash and peel the potatoes then cut them into small cubes, about 1cm in size. Par-boil the potatoes in the boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain them in a colander.
- Lay the puff pastry sheet on your baking tray. Using a fork prick a 1 inch border around the pastry then prick the inside of the base a few times.
- Leaving the border free, lay slices of ham all over the base (I find about 4 slices enough). Then cover the ham in grated fontina cheese.
- Put the drained potatoes in a large mixing bowl and add a good pinch of salt, a drizzle of olive oil and the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, toss to combine.
- Lay the potatoes all over the ham and cheese. Fold the edges of the pastry up and crimp it slightly (similar to a galette or crostata, see photos for reference) then brush the edges with beaten egg.
- Bake the tart in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the potatoes cooked through. Let it sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
- Puff pastry – If you buy yours in a block just roll it out about 4mm (just over 1/8 inch) thick. The sheet I use is about 30x20cm (8×11.5 inches).
- Preparing in advance – you can prep and assemble the tart in advance and store it in the fridge (don’t brush the pastry with egg though). Remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before baking, brush with egg and bake.
- Leftovers – leftovers will keep well for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Easy to prepare. Absolutely bursting with flavour. Will be making this again and again….