Leek-and-onion Potato Pie
LEEK-AND-ONION POTATO PIE
(from The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook, which I think overstates its case somewhat, really)
Serves 4
Total Time: About 2 hours, not including time to bake the potatoes
Time to Prepare: 40 minutes, including time to saute
Cooking Time: About 1 hour
Equipment: 8-inch springform pan
Do Ahead: You can make the crust up to 2 days in advance. Prepare the pie up to 3 days ahead.
Refrigeration/Freezing: Refrigerate up to 3 days. Freeze indefinitely.
Composers transpose music all the time, taking a piece meant for flute, for example, and reworking it for violin or piano. You can transpose recipes with similar success, taking ingredients for a much-loved soup, in this case, and putting them in a pie.
Crust
1 pound Yukon gold or russet-type potatoes
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup nonfat or part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or canola or vegetable oil
3 cups thinly sliced leeks, white part only (about 2 large leeks)
2 cups thinly sliced onions
Pinch salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nonfat or reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
For the Crust
Heat the oven to 425 deg F.
Bake the potatoes until tender, about 50 minutes, or bake in the microwave.
Peel and mash the potatoes. Combine them with the egg, ricotta, and flour, mixing with your hands until you have a soft, pliant dough. Press the dough into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan, and bake until it's firm but still springy, about 20 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it cool. Don't turn off the oven.
In a large skillet or saute pan, melt the butter or heat the oil. Add the leeks, onions, and salt, and saute until very soft, about 15 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the egg and egg yolk, the evaporated skim milk, and flour. Make sure there are no lumps.
Spread the sour cream over the potato crust and sprinkle the chives evenly on top. Spread the leek mixture into the crust. Pour in the egg mixture, and place the pie in the oven. Bake until the filling has set, about 50 minutes. If the top starts to brown before the custard has set, cover the pie with foil and continue baking until a knife stuck into the center comes out clean. Let it sit 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot, room temperature, or cold.
PER SERVING: CALORIES 335 * PROTEIN 15.6 G * CARBOHYDRATE 52.7 G * FAT 7.8 G * CHOLESTEROL 161 MG * SODIUM 110 MG * 20% CALORIES FROM FAT * OUTSTANDING SOURCE OV VITAMIN C * VERY GOOD SOURCE OF VITAMINS B2, B6; FOLACIN, CALCIUM, IRON * GOOD SOURCE OF VITAMINS A, B1, B3, B12; IRON