Summer Squash and Potato Tian
If you have dexterity and a little patience, you too can make this impressive looking tian, or call it a squash and potato spiral!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 large baking potato
- 4-5 yellow squash
- 1 medium onion diced finely
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- ½ tsp basil
- ½ tsp thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 ounces cheese (Cheddar, asiago, even goat would be good here) grated
Instructions
- Use a mandolin to slice the potato and squash longways into ⅛″ thick slices. The best way to slice is to cut the vegetable down the middle longways once, then hold the curved side (or use a safety guide, usually included in the mandolin) to run the flat side down against the blade. Discard the smaller pieces that are left.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Heat up one tablespoon of oil over medium high heat in a small saute pan. Toss in the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent.
- Spread the cooked onions and garlic out in the bottom of the pie plate (or smaller vessels if using) and prepare for the fun part.
- Stack up the potato and squash slices and cut longways so you’re making long strips of the vegetable. After you cut a stack, put them aside so that the flat sides all stay the same direction.
- After the vegetables are cut longways, start with a piece of squash and roll it up into a tight circle. Keep adding vegetable strips, flat side DOWN, alternating squash and potato, overlapping the ends with each new piece if possible. It will become too unwieldly for your palm after a bit.
- At the point it becomes too large, place it in the center of the pie plate, directly on the onion/garlic mixture. Keep wrapping vegetable strips using your hands to keep it tight as long as you can.
- After you cannot keep it tight with just your hands, stagger vegetable strips in a circular fashion around the coil and just keep packing it around the circle until you fill the dish.
- Once you’re satisfied with the coil, mix the herbs and seasonings with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and drizzle evenly over the vegetable coil. If you have a silicone oil brush, feel free to use it lightly to spread the oil around.
- Next, grate the cheese over the dish and bake for 30-35 minutes, uncovered.
- Serve immediately, using tongs to pick up part of the circle and destroying your beautiful creation.
Notes
This is for a 11″ diameter dish.