Do you have to blind bake the crust first? And if so, do you need to use pie weights?

Yes you need to blind bake the tart shell first as the filling + crust are only baked for 17 to 20 minutes which is not enough to cook the crust/shell properly. No you do not need pie weights as you can use white sugar as the weight as long as you line the tart shell with parchment paper before adding the sugar.

Yes, you should blind bake the crust so it doen't end up soggy and uncooked. If you don't have pie weights you can fill the parchment or foil lining with dried beans or rice to fill the parchment or foil lining (won't be able to cook them as food afterwrd) or sugar (will be able to use it afterwards even if it turns a light cream or tan color).

On top of any plain starch like white potato, rice, quinoa, toast.
Maybe also works on some more flavorful ones like parsnip, squash, sweet potato. But will need experimenting and adjusting tastes.
Maybe recipe author will have some more ideas.