(Serves four)

220 g plain flour
Salt and pepper
Large pinch mixed dried herbs
110 g butter or margarine
350 peeled and diced potatoes(prepared weight)
30 g butter
3 large onions, halved and sliced
80 g pancetta lardons or chopped streaky bacon
12 pitted black olives, halved
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, or ½ tsp dried thyme
3 eggs
150 ml cream or milk

• Sift the flour into a bowl, season with salt and pepper and stir in the herbs. Rub in the butter or margarine and mix to a dough with iced water. Knead lightly, then roll the pastry out to fit a 23-cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

While the pastry is chilling, cook the potatoes in salted boiling water until just tender, then drain well. Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the onions and cook gently for about 10 minutes until soft and golden.

Add the pancetta and cook for five minutes more. Remove from the heat, stir in the potatoes, half the olives and the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Put to one side while you cook the pastry case.

Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and baking beans and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and brush the tart with a little of the white from one of the eggs. Return to the oven for anotherfive minutes. Lower the oventemperature to l75˚C.

Whisk together the eggs and cream and season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables into the tart, then pour in the egg mixture. Scatter over the rest of the olives and bake the tart for about 30 minutes until set. Cut into wedges and serve warm with a salad.