I was perusing a Huffington Post food slideshow the other day. You know how they are – 101 ways to cook [fill in the ingredient] or 9000 ways to bake a chocolate cake. Some of them are good, others?!? I don’t think so.
The fun thing about them, though, is they can send me off into the Neverland of recipe. One click leads to another leads to another… Somewhere or somehow, I ended up on Martha Stewart’s site with an Alsatian Potato Pie staring at me. It sounded so ridiculously good that I had to try it.
I’m really glad I did – it’s ridiculously good!
The concept is thick-sliced potatoes, cooked until barely tender, and then layered in puff pastry with leeks and cheese. Later, after it has baked and is almost done, a heavy cream reduction is poured in.
My kind of recipe!
I have to admit I could have sat down and eaten the entire thing, myself. It was ridiculously good.
This is loosely adapted from Martha…
Alsatian Potato Pie
- 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed with the flat side of a large knife
- 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
- Black pepper
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 medium leek, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
- 1 (14 ounces) frozen puff pastry, (such as Dufour), thawed
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used a block of pepper jack)
Cover potatoes with water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add a pinch of salt; cook until just tender, 13 to 15 minutes. Drain. Let cool.
Bring 1 cup cream, the garlic, and nutmeg to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook mixture until reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
Cook leek in butter until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400°degrees. Set 1 sheet puff pastry on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Add the potatoes, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around and overlapping potatoes slightly. Top with the leek mixture and cheese; season with salt and pepper. Cover with remaining dough and gently press edges with a fork to seal. Cut 2-inch slits lengthwise in center of crust, 2 inches apart.
Bake pie until golden brown and puffy, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven. Pour cream mixture into pie vents with a funnel. Bake 10 minutes more. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Did I mention it was ridiculously good?!?
Everything about it was just slightly over-the-top. This may become a cold winter night staple.
It was ridiculously good.
Sharing the plate was a thin-sliced chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto. I quickly sauteed it in a drizzle of olive oil and then set the pan under the broiler.
Ridiculously good.