New Potato Tian Recipe with Thyme and Pecorino | Foodal (2024)

Potatoes. Like an F150 pickup truck, they’re everywhere you look.

It’s not that I don’t like these starchy roots; I do. Like most of you, I grew up eating them mashed and baked, sliced into French fries and served alongside scrambled eggs and toast as hash browns. When hasselbacks emerge from the oven, crusty and golden, garlicky and soft, I’ll be the first to spoon half a dozen onto my plate.

I’m nuts about au gratin, that sloppy, creamy casserole that’s pumped full of butter, milk, and several different kinds of cheese – you and I both know that’s pure comfort on a plate.

And if it’s Hanukkah and you bring latkes, you’ll make me one happy girl – in fact, that’s true whether it’s Hanukkah or not.

But all these facts notwithstanding, in this household, we hardly ever buy a bag of Russets or Yukon Golds. I think the last time they were in my grocery cart was circa 2010, and as strange as that sounds, the reason’s pretty simple. It comes down to two words:

Sweet potatoes.

When I’m standing in the produce section, faced with the choice of either a bag of hearty Russets or their long and orange counterparts, the sweet potatoes win every time (or the yams, to be clear, because the differences between the two have never struck me as important enough to change the way I use them).

Sweet potatoes can be used interchangeably in most traditional recipes that call for regular spuds: as fries, in roasted rounds, mashed, in casseroles or to make latkes, and baked whole.

And they can do so much more. Add them to smoothies! Try them in brownies! Roast and puree them and use them for filling homemade pies!

And their nutritional profile is so rich: Beta carotene! Vitamin C! Antioxidants! And they’re helpful in regulating blood sugar!

Nonetheless, there are times when I find myself looking at the ‘Jewel’ yams or purple sweet potatoes in my shopping bag, and thinking of the regular white spuds that have been overlooked. I can’t help feeling a little like I’m watching a kid who hasn’t been picked for a baseball team, or quietly looking the other way while a friend is passed over for a promotion.

I know rationally that outside of my little universe, the traditional white-fleshed Idaho potato is far from underappreciated. But still, just knowing how often I pass them by sends my maternal instincts to work.

Comparisons can be so unfair. Nobody likes to be left out. Ask any writer: rejection stinks.

Furthermore, it’s not like I’m talking about a jelly doughnut or a beer-battered onion ring here. These vegetables are whole foods!

So, when our CSA delivers Tennessee-grown heirloom fingerlings and about a dozen new potatoes in our biweekly box, the part of me that likes to root for underdog rejoices.

“See, Potatoes,” I think while I stack them in the pantry, “We do like you, too!”

And then, since the return of these humble root vegetables to our kitchen warrants making something special and celebratory, something both pretty to look at and delightful to eat, we make a tian: a combination of thinly sliced rounds with sauteed onions and garlic, chicken broth, Pecorino cheese, and a slow bake.

Traditionally baked in a Provençal earthenware dish for which this type of dish is named, today’s definition of this type of dish has become a bit more lax – as far as I’m concerned, layered vegetables that are cooked like a casserole and browned on top qualify whether you have the traditional bakeware or not. A classic ratatouille fits the bill as well.

Delicately arranged into what looks almost like a flower in bloom, this tian takes its place at the table like the supper star it is.

Sure, you could do the same thing with sweet potatoes. But today, at least today, starchy new potatoes are on the menu.

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Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Chop Vegetables and Measure Ingredients

Slice the onions and mince the garlic.

Either thinly slice the potatoes by hand into evenly-size rounds, get out your mandoline, or use the 2-millimeter thin slicing disc attachment on your food processor.

Using the food processor will guarantee perfectly even slices, and cut your prep time in half.

Measure out the rest of the ingredients that you will need. Grate the cheese, mince the garlic, and separate the thyme leaves from the stems.

Step 2 – Saute the Onions and Garlic

In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent.

Add the garlic, season the mixture generously with salt and pepper, and cook until the garlic has melted into the onions. Keep the heat low, and do not allow the mixture to burn.

Step 3 – Assemble

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Evenly spread the onion and garlic mixture onto the bottom of a round or oval baking dish.

Arrange the potato slices in the baking dish one layer at a time, in a circular pattern.

Season each layer with salt and pepper.

Pour the chicken stock over the top. Add the thyme, an additional pinch each of salt and pepper, and the cheese.

Step 4 – Cover and Bake

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Step 5 – Uncover and Finish Baking

Remove the foil, drizzle the oil over the top, and bake until the potatoes are fork tender and the cheese is bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.