I have always enjoyed finding ways to use fresh vegetables from my garden in delicious recipes. Ever since I started making my own cheese, I have been on the lookout for ways to incorporate farmstead aged cheddar into my cooking. I have found that this recipe for a cheddar and bacon tart is a great way to combine my passion for fresh vegetables and rich cheddar cheese into one delicious dish.

With this list of ingredients and simple directions, you can watch the video and cook along with me! I hope you enjoy sharing this recipe with your friends and family as much as I do, and I hope you’ll gather with me next time Around the Farm Table!

Inga’s Farmstead Cheddar and Bacon Tart

Ingredients

4 cups aged farmstead cheddar cheese, grated

2 pounds thinly sliced heritage-breed bacon

2-1/2 pounds local red potatoes cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

1 pound of wilted kale, sliced

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons basil

¼ cup chopped green onion stems

2 cups red onion, chopped fine

2-3 garlic cloves, finely grated

3 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons salt

Directions

1. Preheat grill or oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Place one bacon slice in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet so that one end starts in the center of the skillet and extends along the bottom and up the side of the skillet, allowing the bacon to hang over the skillet edge. Repeat process using remaining bacon slices, working in a circular pattern and overlapping slices slightly to cover the bottom and sides of the skillet. Sprinkle one teaspoon pepper evenly over the bacon.
3. Mix onion, garlic, kale and herbs in a bowl and set aside
4. Arrange a single layer of potato slices so they cover the bacon at the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt and about 1/3 cup of the kale, onion and herb mixture. Now cover the vegetable mixture with a sprinkling of grated cheese. Repeat the layering process 3-5 times depending on the depth of your skillet. Cover the top layer with any remaining cheese.
5. Fold the overhanging bacon strips neatly up and over the potato mixture so they meet in the middle and completely cover the top layer of the tart.
6. Top with an ovenproof lid and place the skillet in the heated grill or oven. Bake the tart for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove lid until bacon is crisp and potatoes are soft enough to cut through with a fork.
7. Slice into wedges and serve hot. This dish goes great with a fresh garden salad and a cool drink!

Life on Inga’s Farm

Did you catch this month’s all-new Around the Farm Table? Join Inga for a tour of her dairy farm in western Wisconsin as she takes us from the pastures to the milking barn, and into the new creamery where she shows us how she makes her clothbound farmstead cheddar cheese. Along the way she and her father talk about their lives as dairy farmers and cheesemakers before taking a trip to the Eau Claire farmers market.