A savory pie brimming with leeks and potatoes in a creamy white sauce, and a buttery flaky pie shell holding everything!
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Warning: this pie is leeky.
When I created this recipe a few years ago, it was shortly after a family movie night to watch Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. The best thing about that movie is that it is stuffed from beginning to end with food puns like, "We're toast!", "Lettuce help." and "This is bananas!" And my favorite of the puns: "There's a leek in the boat!", as the scene cuts to an actual leek walking around in a boat.
After that viewing I understandably had leeks on the brain, and I thought of Vichyssoise: a delicious, creamy, cold soup abundant with leeks and potatoes. As it turns out this combination is also quite nice in a pie shell, and it is a wonderful, savory comfort food treat!
Why you'll love this pie
A traditional vichyssoise is puréed, but in this pie version I left the leeks and potatoes chunky. The filling surrounding the leeks and potatoes is thick, creamy and indulgent.
This is a delicious lunch or dinner pie. It would also be ogled and devoured at a brunch table. The chicken stock can be swapped out for vegetable stock to create a vegetarian version.
Slices of this pie are delectable when served warm, or you can enjoy them chilled to get a traditional vichyssoise feel.
🔪 How to make this recipe
Step 1: Make the crust
Mix the dry ingredients for the dough, and then cut in the butter. The mixture will be shaggy looking. Stir ice water in a tablespoon at a time, stirring the mixture until the dough is just moist enough to hold together when you squeeze it. Give the dough a few squeezes to bring it all together. Divide it in half, flatten each into a disk, wrap them, and pop them in the fridge.
Step 2: Make the filling
Trim, slice, and rinse the leeks. Cube the potatoes, and boil them until they're just cooked through. Sauté the leeks in butter, then stir in flour, stock, and cream. Simmer the mixture until it thickens, then add in the cooked potatoes.
Step 3: Assemble the pie
Roll out one portion of the chilled dough for the bottom crust. Fit into into the pie plate. Pour in the cooled leek and potato filling. Roll out the other dough portion, and position it over the top of the pie. Trim, tuck, and crimp the edges. Cut a few slits in the top of the pie, and brush it with egg wash.
Step 4: Bake
Bake the pie for about a half hour, until the crust is browned and the filling is a-bubbling. Let it cool for a few minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Notes:
- Rinse the sliced leeks a few times and well, as they are always full of sand.
- The pie crust is made with butter, which makes it flaky and delicious. Keep the butter very cold and use ice water. The rest in the fridge for the dough is an important step, so don't skip it.
- You can prep this pie in advance: the dough can be made and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days before making the pie. The leek and potato filling can also be made a day or two in advance and kept in the fridge. Let the filling come to room temperature before pouring it in the pie shell.
Enjoy this comfort food pie, especially on a day when you feel like being a couch potato. (Alright, no more food puns!)
The recipe is below, and here are more savory pies to try:
💬 When you make this Vichyssoise Pie let me know what you think! Click on the stars to rate the recipe or leave a comment for me below.
Vichyssoise Leek & Potato Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 ounces butter, cold (12 tablespoons)
- 1 cup ice water
Filling:
- 3 leeks
- 1 pound Russet potatoes (2 large)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup half & half
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon Maldon Sea Salt Flakes
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour and the ½ teaspoon of salt. Slice the cold butter into ¼-inch cubes and add them to the flour. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour, until the mixture looks coarse.
- Add ¼ cup of the ice water to the mixture and toss it together with a large spoon. Continue adding water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture holds together when you squeeze some in your hand.
- Turn the mixture out onto a work surface. Knead the dough mixture together 4 or 5 times until it has come together into a smooth dough. Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into a disk. Wrap both disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes.
Make the filling:
- Trim the root ends of the leeks and trim off most of the dark green leaves at the top. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise, then slice them crosswise into small pieces. Run your knife through the leeks a few times to chop up the slices.
- Place the sliced leeks into a colander set in a large bowl (or a salad spinner) and fill the bowl with cold water. Swish the leeks around in the water to wash them, then drain. Repeat this step again, draining very well to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 1½-inch cubes and place them in a pan of cold water. (The water should just cover the cut potatoes.) Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes until the potatoes are just tender. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter with the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in the leeks and sauté them for 5 minutes until softened. Sprinkle the ¼ cup of flour over the leeks and stir them for about 2 minutes until the flour is absorbed and has coated the leeks.
- Slowly pour in the stock, half and half, and teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a simmer. Continue to simmer and stir the filling for about 3-5 minutes longer just until it has thickened.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Stir the cooked potatoes into the mixture, then allow the mixture to cool to lukewarm.
Assemble the pie:
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Have a 9-inch pie dish ready: if using a glass or ceramic pie pan move the rack to the lower half of the oven.
- Unwrap one refrigerated dough disk onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to about ¼-inch thickness. The dough should be roughly 13 inches in diameter. Lightly fold the circle in half and then in half again. Place it in the pie dish with the point of the triangle in the center and unfold to fit the pie dish. Gently fit the dough into the pie dish with overhang all around. Trim the overhang to about 1½ inches.
- Pour the cooled leek and potato filling into the pie shell.
- Take the other dough disk from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thick and 15 inches in diameter. You can make cut-outs in the dough now or use a knife to cut slits in the pie after it is assembled.
- Carefully lay the dough over the top of the pie dish. Trim the edges to be just slightly larger than the bottom overhang. Roll both the lower and upper crust edges under, all around the pie to make a thick edge. Crimp the edge all around. Cut a few slits in the top crust for venting.
- Beat together the egg and ¼ cup of water. Brush this wash over the top crust using a pastry brush. Sprinkle the Maldon Sea Salt Flakes over the top.
- Bake the pie for 25-30 minutes until the crust has browned and filling is bubbling. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Thanks! Am I missing it, or did you leave out adding the potatoes back into the filling?
Hi Matt,
No, you did not miss it - I did! It's in the steps now, #6 under "Make the Filling". I appreciate you letting me know about this. I hope you'll get to make this pie, and please write back to let me know what you think of it. Thank you!
I know it is only tangentially related, but I have always maintained that we work best at the grade level we stopped maturing at!
That’s definitely true... for both of us!