Purple Potato Foccacia Tart with Maltese Gbejna

purple potato bread 2 — Gluten free purple potato bread with Maltese Gbejna, photography by CJ Baldacchino during a live tv show

‘Purple potatoes make any dish visually stunning as unlike many other vegetables, they retain their vibrant colour after baking. I use gluten free flour by Dove’s Farm for this tart but it works just as well with regular flour.’

You will need:

200g purple potatoes
150ml yoghurt
25ml olive oil
100g grated mature gbejna [maltese cheese]
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram
250g self raising flour [during the show I used self raising gluten free flour by Doves Farm]
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
a pinch of dried marjoram
a pinch of dried rosemary
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
2 eggs
salt and pepper to season if desired

To garnish: Fresh Rosemary and more olive oil

Prick the potatoes twice and cook them in the microwave with skin on. Allow to cool then chop roughly.

Cut the other half of the potatoes into very thin slices with skin on

Sift the flour twice. Add the baking powder, garlic powder, dry rosemary, dry marjoram and salt. Place them in an electric mixer. Add the eggs, grated gbejna cheese or similar, fresh rosemary and marjoram, olive oil, yoghurt and ground pepper. Mix the ingredients together with an electric mixer for one minute.

Purple Potato bread 1 — I add fresh rosemary and marjoram for extra flavor #glutenfree

Preheat the oven to 190C. Prepare a tart dish [20cm] by brushing it with olive oil or cooking spray.

Use a large metal spoon to gently mix in the cooked chopped potatoes. Place teh mixture in the prepared tart dish and arrange the thin slices of uncooked potatoes on the top. Brush with olive oil and scatter some more fresh herbs and grated gbejna. The uncooked potato slices will turn crispy when they are cooked. Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes until it is golden and the potato slices turn crispy. Remove from the oven and brush with olive oil. Garnish with some fresh rosemary and serve hot or cold in slices.

purple potatoes and naspli — In season now Maltese Naspli [medlars] Photo by CJ Baldacchino during a live tv show

Trade Enquiries: Gluten Free Flour by Doves Farm at Good Earth

Lea’s Good Food Everyday is available via Midsea and in most bookshops

My baking ingredients are by Doves Farm at Good Earth

I use fresh fruit, herbs, eggs and vegetables by Big Fresh, olive oil by Costa D’Oro and herbs and spices by Good Earth, cooking spray by Fry Light at Rimus Trading