Flaky French Potato Pie
This flaky French potato pie recipe is reminiscent of what you’ll find in Central France. A savory vegetable pie with layers of seasoned Yukon Gold potatoes, nestled in a creamy broth of onion and creamy cheese, fresh herbs then baked in a flaky Phyllo crust.
The phyllo dough crusts result in a buttery, flaky and rustic potato piel
This popular French comfort food, also known as “Tourte Aux Pommes De Terre,” is most commonly served as a main course meal with a green salad; however, you can serve it as a side dish or serve it at breakfast or brunch with eggs or a nice fluffy quiche.
Why this recipe works
- The big difference between this recipe and the traditional version of french potato pie is the pie crust. Traditional recipes call for a homemade flaky crust. In this version, there’s no weighing flour, freezing butter, rolling out dough, no waiting for the pie dough to get cold or come to room temperature- NONE OF THAT– which makes the prep time and cook time much quicker. This recipe uses prepared phyllo dough sheets as both the bottom crust and top of the pie and it’s ready in about 50 minutes from start-to-finish.
- You don’t need a stand mixer or a food processor for this French pie
Ingredients
For the flaky pie crust, you’ll need a few simple ingredients:
- Phyllo dough-in the freezer section of the grocery store; usually comes with two packages of dough per box. Don’t accidentally get puff pastry.
- Butter – unsalted melted butter and a pastry brush
- Egg – one large lightly beaten egg for the egg wash
The potato pie filling ingredients are:
- Yukon Gold potatoes – 2 pounds, peeled, rinsed and thinly sliced to 1/8″ inch (I recommend using a mandolin for this)
- Sweet yellow onions – thinly sliced and marinated in salted water
- Heavy cream
- All-purpose flour
- Garlic powder – if you don’t want to mince cloves of garlic
- Fresh chopped parsley
- Gruyere cheese – or you can use Swiss cheese
- Kosher salt and ground white pepper to taste-you can use ground black pepper if you like
Look at those delicious creamy layers of potatoes and that flaky crust!
How to make it
The potato filling
The potato mixture and flaky crust come together pretty quickly. The prep work is also minimal. Be sure to see the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and step-by-step instructions.
- Slice the onions in thin 1/8″ inch slices and place sliced onions in a mixing bowl; season with salt, cover and set aside
- Rinse and peel potatoes; using a sharp knife or mandolin, cut 1/8″ inch potato slices and place them in a large bowl of cold water until it’s time to cook them
- Take the phyllo dough sheets out of the freezer and thaw the dough at room temperature
- Shred the cheese on the smaller shredding side of a box cheese grater and chop the parsley; set both aside
- Preheat oven to 350°F; make room in the oven because you’ll be using the bottom wire rack
- Bring a large stockpot of water to high-temperature; add in a little baking soda (this helps the Yukon Gold potatoes release starch so the rich cream with adhere to the potatoes)
- Add the thinly sliced potatoes to the stockpot and cook for a minute; drain and return potatoes to stockpot
- Return stockpot to stovetop on low heat; fold in the onions and their liquid; sprinkle in all-purpose flour and heavy cream; combine gently
- Add seasonings and cook another 5 minutes; remove from heat; set aside and prepare pie plate
The crust
There is no prepping the pie plate bottom.
Line a 9-inch pie plate with 4-5 sheets of phyllo dough; brush the top sheet with melted butter and repeat 2 more times, but do NOT butter the last layer
Spoon the warm potato mixture onto the dough-lined pie plate
Top with 4-5 more sheets of dough, butter, repeat 2 more times, but do NOT Butter the final top of the pastry
Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl and use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash over the top layer
Trim any excess dough around the pie plate with kitchen shears
Bake on lowest rack in the oven for 30-40 minutes and until its light golden brown
Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 10-15 minutes before serving
Recipe Tips
- Phyllo dough is delicate and often tears or shreds. If this happens, do not worry; just make sure the bottom crust layers of dough cover the entire pie plate; the egg wash will disguise any torn phyllo sheets on the top crust
- If the dough cracks and you want to repair it, just use a little cool water and pinch it back together.
- For best results, allow the French Potato Pie to cool before slicing
- Use a serrated knife and insert the knife tip into the pie, working from the center to outward; let the knife tip do the slicing work for you. Do not use a “sawing” knife motion or the top phyllo crust will crumble
- While baking, if you notice the edges of the pie are getting too dark, place a strip of aluminum foil around the perimeter of the pie, leaving the center exposed to the oven heat
Storage and reheating
You don’t need a special occasion to enjoy this easy flaky French potato onion pie. If you make ahead, cover it securely with foil and refrigerate for up to 3-5 days. To reheat, I recommend cutting small slices of pie and placing them in the microwave 1-2 minutes. Freezing is not recommended because the texture of the crust changes.
This warm and comforting French potato pie is delicious as a main course with a crisp green salad or as a side dish! It pairs beautifully with beef tenderloin, marinated burgundy mushrooms and roasted broccoli!
Related recipes
- Chicken Fricasseé
- One Pan Balsamic Chicken
- German Braised Beef and Spaetzle
- Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese
French Potato Pie
Yukon Gold potatoes, onions and Gruyere cheese nestled in a savory cream sauce with a flaky phyllo crust
Print
Rate
Yield: 8 slices
Equipment
- Mandolin with ⅛" inch slice
- 9" inch glass pie plate
- Pastry Brush
- Cheese grater (finely shredded)
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients
- 1 box Phyllo dough sheets-(2 packages) See Recipe Notes below
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten for egg wash
Filling Ingredients
- 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 large sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced (2 cups of sliced onion)
- 1½ teaspoons table salt
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 1 cup finely shredded Gruyere cheese (about 4 oz. shredded) See Recipe Notes below
Instructions
Prep 8-10 minutes
- Thaw phyllo dough to almost room temperature; See recipe notesRinse, peel and slice potatoes ⅛ " inch thick (a mandolin works best); placed sliced potatoes in a large bowl of cold water until you're ready to boil themSlice onions ⅛ " inch thick, transfer to bowl and season with 1½ teaspoons of table salt; combine, cover and set asideBring 4 quart of water and baking soda to boilFinely chop parsley; set asideUse the shredding side of a box cheese grater and grate the cheese; set asidePreheat oven to 350℉; adjust racks (you'll use the bottom rack for this recipe)1 box Phyllo dough sheets-(2 packages), 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced, 1 large sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced, 1½ teaspoons table salt, 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, 1 cup finely shredded Gruyere cheese
Make the filling
- Add sliced potatoes to stockpot and cook for 1 minute; drain and return potatoes to stockpot; do not rinse potatoes½ teaspoon baking soda
- Return stockpot to stove on low heat; gently fold in onions and their liquid; add heavy cream, flour, pepper and garlic powder to the stockpot; simmer on low heat, stirring gently to incorporate the flour into the cream; cook on low heat for 5 minutes or so – until the cream begins to thicken; remove from heat and allow to cool a bit1¼ cups heavy cream, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Fold in chopped parsley and grated cheese to potato mixture; taste for salt; allow to cool a bit (10-15 minutes) before you put it in the pie plate.2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, 1 cup finely shredded Gruyere cheese, 1 large egg, lightly beaten for egg wash, salt to taste
Make the Crust and Assemble (Read the Recipe Notes Below about Phyllo Dough first.)
- Read the recipe notes at the very end for this 3-step process. You will NOT butter each individual dough sheet. Melt the butter in a small bowlLine the pie plate with about 4 sheets of phyllo; melt butter and brush the top sheet with butter. Place another 4 sheets of dough over that, brush the last (top) sheet with butter, then put another 4 sheets on top of that and don't brush it with butter.4 tablespoons butter, melted
- Spoon the warm potato filling onto the dough; place 4-5 sheets of dough on top; of the potato filling and brush that layer with melted butter. Add another layer of 4-5 sheets of dough and brush with butter, add final layer of phyllo sheets, but don't butter the final top layer.
- Brush the final top layer with lightly beaten egg. Bake at 350℉ on the lowest oven rack for 20-30 minutes or until the top crust is a nice golden brown. Allow to rest for 20-30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Cheese –
This recipe uses Gruyere cheese which is sold block-style in your grocer’s deli. You’ll want to buy a block that is at least 4 ounces. If you can’t find Gruyere, you can use Swiss cheese. I do not recommend using pre-shredded cheese.
Phyllo dough-
This is the flaky dough you see in a lot of Greek recipes, like Spanikopita or Baklava. You’ll find it in the freezer section next to the Puff Pastry. It is a COMMON MISTAKE to grab a box of Puff Pastry instead of Phyllo dough. Double-check that you’ve purchased PHYLLO and not puff pastry.
Phyllo dough comes in a box with two individually wrapped packages of phyllo sheets. Thaw both packages of dough at room temperature just until it’s cool – if it gets too warm, it either falls apart or doesn’t flake well in the oven. You most likely won’t use both packages of dough, but it’s best to have a thawed package for back-up in the event the phyllo sheets tear.
When you’re ready to line the pan with the phyllo sheets, you may find they tear easily and crack; don’t worry about that. Just make sure you use 4 – 6 sheets per layer, brushing with melted butter in between each layer – not between each sheet.
The dough sheets may overlap the edge of the pie plate and that’s okay. We’ll trim the edges of the pie right before we bake it.
The final layer of Phyllo on both the bottom and top crust does not get buttered!
If the top layer of your phyllo pie crust is severely cracked, use a little water to pinch and smooth the dough back together. The egg wash usually disguises any cracks in the top crust.
Use kitchen shears to trim any excess phyllo dough that may be hanging over the rim of the pie plate.
Potato filling –
The recipe as written yields enough filling for a 9″ inch pie plate. You may have a little potato filling leftover; serve the leftovers as a warm side dish for another meal.
Step by Step Crust Directions
You will not butter each individual sheet of dough.
- Place 4-5 sheets of dough in the bottom of the pie plate. Butter only the last (top) sheet.
- Place another 4-5 sheets on top of that and butter only the last (top) sheet.
- Place another 4-5 sheets on the second layer and don’t butter itl
Nutrition Estimate
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 531kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 14gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 971mgPotassium: 639mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 999IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 227mgIron: 3mg
Craving More? Pin it and Share!Mention @SmartyPantsKitchen or tag #smartypantskitchen!
Join the Facebook group!Mention @SmartyPantsKitchen or tag #smartypantskitchen!
