French Potato Pie

French Potato Pie in white pie plate with slotted server.

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Yukon Gold potatoes, onions and Gruyere cheese nestled in a savory cream sauce with a flaky phyllo crust

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Entree, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: French-American

Servings: slices

Calories: 531kcal

Author: Anecia Hero

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 notes
Rinse, 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 them
Slice onions ⅛ " inch thick, transfer to bowl and season with 1½ teaspoons of table salt; combine, cover and set aside
Bring 4 quart of water and ½ teaspoon of baking soda to boil
Finely chop parsley; set aside
Use the shredding side of a box cheese grater and grate the cheese; set aside
Preheat oven to 350℉; adjust racks (you'll use the bottom rack for this recipe)
1½ teaspoons table salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda

Make the filling

Add sliced potatoes to stockpot and cook for 1 minute; drain and return potatoes to stockpot
2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
Return stockpot to 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 bit
1 large sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced, 1¼ cups heavy cream, ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
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.
salt to taste, 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, 1 cup finely shredded Gruyere cheese

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 bowl. In a separate bowl, add egg and lightly beat; set aside
Line 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.
1 box Phyllo dough sheets-(2 packages), 4 tablespoons butter, melted, 1 large egg, lightly beaten for egg wash
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

Repeat this process for the top crust. After you've placed the last layers of dough sheets, you'll finish it with an egg wash.

Nutrition