Rediscovering a Family Classic: My Grandfather's Potato Pie (Pâté aux Pommes de Terre)

in #recipelast year

Hey Hive community!

Today, I'm thrilled to share a slice of my family heritage with you all: the Potato Pie, or as we call it in French, 'Pâté aux Pommes de Terre'. This is a straightforward yet incredibly delicious recipe that my grandfather loves to prepare.

To make sure you're not left hanging, I'm not only going to walk you through our family's version of this classic dish, but I'll also share the recipe with you. Keep in mind, there are countless variations out there, but the essence of the dish remains largely the same (or nearly so).



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The first photo I'm sharing is of this perfect slice, fresh out of the oven. Look at that golden color, those enticing layers of potatoes - a rustic masterpiece!


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"Pâté aux Pommes de Terre" Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 puff pastries, for that crispy touch (one for the bottom, one for the top)
  • 1.5 kg of firm potatoes, the solid base of our masterpiece (if you're lucky enough to have a garden, growing your own potatoes makes it even better)
  • 50 cl of thick crème fraîche (you'll add this to your slice just before eating)
  • 1 onion (red or white, your choice. I prefer red).
  • Salt and pepper, the essentials 😉


Preparation:

  1. If the potatoes are not organically grown, peel them. Otherwise, it's not mandatory. I prefer them with the skin, but it's a matter of taste. Then, slice them into thin rounds.
  2. Finely chop your onion and mix it with the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. If you can and want, add rillons to this mixture. These are cubes of pork belly, fried and confited in their cooking fat.
  4. Take one of the puff pastries, place it in a pie dish, add the potatoes, onions, and rillons. Optionally, add some herbs for even more flavor.
  5. Cover with the second pastry, sealing the edges. Brush the top with an egg yolk.
  6. Make a hole in the center and place a piece of cardboard (from the puff pastry, for example) in it. This is what's known as a chimney.
  7. Let the magic happen in the oven at about 200°C (392°F), for 1 hour.
  8. Serve yourself a nice slice, lift the top pastry to brush the potatoes with a good spoonful of crème fraîche. Close it back up and enjoy!

This dish is more than just a recipe for me. It's a connection to my past, a bond with my grandfather, and a way to keep our family traditions alive.

And you, do you have dishes that connect you to your story, to your family? Share them in the comments, I'm eager to read your stories!

All the photos are taken with my phone.

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Anything with potatoes is awesome. This seems very French and seems it would be delish with mustard!

You're absolutely right, a touch of French mustard only makes things better. Generally, I don't add it because I serve this dish with a mustard vinaigrette salad (cider vinegar, mustard, olive oil).

And very often, with looooots of mustard 😋😋😋

Oh yes the salad with a mustard dressing would pair beautifully!!

That looks so tasty!

It's really ultra tasty! It's a great comfort dish after a big hike, for example 👍👍

There are so many ways to eat potatoes, but this is a new one for me. Potatoes are one of the things we grow in our garden that we always do great with.
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@farm-mom prepares them in so many ways and I'll have to let her know about potato pie. She's a great cook, always looking for new dishes. I'm not a very good cook, but I'm a great consumer of food.

Potatoes are the staple of our diet here too 😜 I'm really looking forward to having my own garden to grow my own potatoes. I hope my harvests will be as good as yours.

Thanks, by the way, for introducing me to @farm-mom!

hehehe sounds like a match made in heaven! LOL

Looks simple and delicious as well, bookmarking it for the future occasion.

Also, we have a community called Foodies Bee Hive, where you can post recipes of topics about food :) You get a better visibility to your post.

Wow, thanks for the info! I didn't know about Foodies Bee Hive, but it sounds awesome 👍

You're welcome! I have a set of newbie guides at the bottom of my posts, if you're interested :)

Yes, he is a great guide, thank you very much!

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hehehe wow this is great - i wish you had a picture of that cardboard chimney! LOL

this Christmas we spent it grandfather style too! we made handmade pierogi and bought kielbasi from a fabulous eastern European store down in San diego, i made some pasca bread and potato salad and sauerkraut... yummmm hehehe we were so stuffed... it was very uncomfortable hahaha

good thing that only happens once a year! LOLOL

well not true - Easter is approaching soon LOLOL

Haha, about that cardboard chimney, it's just a small DIY thing, a piece of cardboard rolled up and inserted in the center of the pie. I really should've taken a picture; it would've been more illustrative.

Sounds like you had a delicious feast! Handmade pierogi and kielbasi from an Eastern European store, pasca bread, potato salad, and sauerkraut... yum! I can imagine how stuffed you must've been, haha, but hey, it's worth it.

And you're right, luckily, it's just once a year. Here in France, the oysters were contaminated due to the numerous storms we've had, so if you catch the French news, you'll see that about a third of French people are currently dealing with gastroenteritis. Oops 😅