Spicy Potato Tart with Carrot and Lime Salad

This recipe first saw the light of day thanks to my motto - when in doubt, get the frozen dough out - because the cupboard was almost bare.

I had potatoes, onions, a carrot, a lime, plus a few other bits and pieces and this meal was the result. Nowadays I make this regularly because it's truly delicious and very quick and easy to prepare.

It's also a recipe that I turn to when I need to keep a very close eye on the budget.This is a great dish to feature in an Indian-style dinner party or buffet and tastes just as good cold as it does piping hot from the oven.

At first, I was a little dubious about the combination of pastry and potatoes - I thought it might be a little heavy - but the pastry is very light and flaky and the carrot and lime salad balances the dish perfectly.

Preparation time is only about ten minutes or less and then you can simply leave it to bake in the oven.

This quantity makes one large tart of about twelve inches square, thawed. Enough for one incredibly greedy person, two people with healthy appetites or for four nibblers. It's great as a hearty appetizer for four people

• One slab frozen puff pastry. I use Pepperidge Farm and two slabs come in each pack so half the pack is required for this recipe
• About a dozen small potatoes - I use celebration
• 4 small onions
• ½ cup curry sauce. I used Sharwood's Jalfrezi - very tasty
• 1 carrot
• 1 lime
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 small piece ginger root - this is optional but it adds a lovely flavor
• A little olive oil
• A good handful of fresh cilantro leaves

PASTRY

The pastry comes folded into thirds. Unfold the pastry and you'll find that it is a square that's about twelve inches square. Place this on a baking sheet. There's no need to add any oil; it can go straight onto the baking tin or cookie sheet.

HEAT THE OVEN & HOB

On the package of the dough I use, it suggests a temperature of 350° on the supplied recipe but I find that 400° is better as the pastry is much lighter and fluff up beautifully. Put a skillet on the hob on a medium heat and pour in the oil.

CLEAN & CUT THE POTATOES & ONIONS

I leave the skins on the potatoes because I'm told that there's a greater concentration of vitamins right underneath the skin and of course, they provide valuable fiber too. If they are a little damp, pat them dry with paper towel and add to the oil. Give them a shake to coat and leave them to cook while you peel and slice the onions into rings and tip those into the pan too.

BAKE THE PASTRY

Once the oven is up to temperature, put in the pastry. It will take about ten minutes or so.

GARLIC, GINGER AND SAUCE

Add the chopped garlic and ginger to the pan and stir well. When they have cooked for about two minutes, pour in the jalfrezi sauce, stir and leave to simmer while you remove the base from the oven.

BASE

When you remove the cookie sheet from the oven you'll see that the base s now a gorgeous, fluffy pillow of pastry! Gently, using a spoon, top the base with the spicy potato and onion mixture. Smooth it gently to make sure that it's fairly evenly distributed.

BAKE

Place the tart back into the oven. It will need only another five to ten minutes. The 'pillow' will deflate slightly in the middle area where the potato mix is but the edges will remain puffy and light. Bake until the edges are golden brown.

CARROT AND LIME SALAD

Roughly grate the cleaned carrot into a small bowl. Cut the lime into quarters and add the juice of one quarter to the carrot and stir in. Retain the other wedges to serve.

SERVE

I find that the best tool for the job when it comes to cutting the tart is to use a pizza cutter. I divide that tart into four and we have two slices each. Then pile fresh cilantro leaves onto each slice. Plate the slices,add the grated carrot and the lime to the plate and serve.

Dishes like the recipe above add a lot of variety to a vegetarian diet and even strict vegetarians and vegans can enjoy similar meals. All you need are a couple of good books and you'll have all the inspiration you need!