Potato Shallot Cheese and Herb Pie
Ingredients
MAKES ONE 9-INCH SINGLE-CRUST PIE
- ½ recipe Double Butter Crust hanging several inches over the edge of the pie plate, See Notes
- 5-6 small/medium white or yellow potatoes thinly sliced into ¼-inch-thick slices
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 5 shallots thinly sliced into ¼-inch-thick slices
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1½ cups heavy cream or 375 ml
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 Tbsp chopped chives
- 1 Tbsp chopped thyme plus more for garnish
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 cup grated Emmentaler cheese or 130 grams
- Egg Wash
Instructions
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Prepare a single 9-inch Double Butter Crust with 2 to 3 inches of dough hanging over the edge of the pie plate. Chill in the pie plate until ready to assemble your pie. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.
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In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the shallots and garlic until softened and turning golden. Allow to cool.
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In a large bowl, lightly beat together the cream, egg yolks, chives, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
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Fill the pie shell half full with the cooked potatoes. Top with the shallot mixture, then half the grated cheese, then another layer of potatoes. Cover with the cream mixture. Fold the edges up over the filling for a rustic look. Brush the whole surface of the pie crust with egg wash and top the exposed potatoes with the remaining cheese, a sprig of thyme, and some salt and pepper. Chill the pie for 30 minutes in the fridge or 15 minutes in the freezer before baking. (I adjusted this to add the egg wash after the chilling and just before putting it into the oven)
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Transfer the pie to the prepared baking sheet.
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Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
The Pie Hole Pie Crust
MAKES ONE 9 - INCH DOUBLE CRUST (OR TWO 9 -INCH SINGLE CRUSTS)
1 cup water, ice cold 1 Tbsp vinegar, cold, or 250 ml
2 cups butter, cold, or 454 grams
4 cups flour, or 600 grams
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Start by mixing the water and vinegar together in a bowl or jug and putting it into the freezer so it’s icy cold when you need it. Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes and put them in the freezer too to keep as cold as possible while you measure the other ingredients.
Measure the flour, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl and mix to fully incorporate.
Add the cold butter to the flour mixture, and use your fingers to massage the butter into the flour, breaking it apart and coating it in flour. Continue massaging and rolling the butter between your fingers until you have a coarse mixture with pea- to almond-sized pieces of butter throughout.
Add 3 Tbsp of the cold vinegar-water mixture. Slowly mix in the water with your hands, gently squeezing the butter and flour to help it come together.
Continue adding the vinegar-water mixture just 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing it in gently with your hands. The goal is to add just enough water to get the dough to come together into a shaggy mixture —and once it gets to that point, hands off
Transfer to a floured work surface, and carefully fold any loose bits of flour and butter into the ball of dough. Folding it a few times will create layers.
Bring your dough together to form a ball, divide it in half, and wrap each piece snugly with plastic wrap. At this point the dough is quite pliable, so press it down until it forms disks about 1 inch thick. This will save both time and effort when you start rolling the dough, as it’s more difficult to roll once chilled. Place the disks in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes to relax the gluten in the dough, which gives you a much more tender pastry. At this point you can also freeze the dough or the half you will not be using.