When I was a culinary student living in Paris, I often walked by bakeries and ogled at the Pithivier pies preening themselves in the store windows. A Pithivier is a type of French pie made of two discs of puff pastry, usually with a sweet filling. The famous French Gallette des rois, or Kings Cake, is a type of pithivier stuffed with almond cream and served on January 6 to celebrate epiphany. I must admit I never purchased one of these Gallettes for fear of eating one of these all by myself and gaining ten pounds!
However, I decided to now make a savory Pithivier in order to justify eating the extra calories, plus the fact that I could now share the pie with my husband. This is how my Leek and Potato Pithivier with Onion Relish was born.
Leeks, potatoes, and onions go well together but I decided to go one step further and turn the onion component into a relish or jam. Here, the onions are slow-cooked with a bit of sugar, red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar until it reaches a jam consistency- very delicious! I also included some cooked bacon pieces but this is optional. The options are endless- my husband even requested an oyster-filled pithivier for his upcoming birthday!
Onion Relish (Jam)
To make the Pithivier:
If using fresh puff pastry made from scratch (which I did), you will need to make enough dough to yield two 9-inch rounds of rolled-out dough. First, roll out 1/2 of the puff pastry dough into a circle 9 inches wide and 1/8 inch thick; use a cake pan to help trace your circle. If using frozen puff pastry, let the pastry first thaw before making your circle of dough. Then brush egg wash 1 3/4 inches wide around the edges of the pastry.
Next, place the filling on the inside of the pastry, not touching the egg wash.
Finally, roll out a second round of 9-inch pastry and drape it over the bottom layer, press the edges together and brush all over with egg wash. Use a sharp knife to divide the pie into eight sections, being careful not to cut all the way through the dough.
Bake the pie at 400 F (200 C) for 25 – 30 minutes until puffed and golden.
Leek and Potato Pithivier with Onion Relish
Print RecipeIngredients
- 2 medium potatoes, skinned and boiled
- 2 leaks (white part), thinly sliced in 2-inch match sticks
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- 2 Tbsps. butter
- ½ large onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. Fennel seeds
- Salt/pepper to taste
- 2 pieces smoked bacon (optional)
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme (2-3 sprigs)
- 2 sheets puff pastry (store bought or fresh) *
- 1 egg for the egg wash
- *sufficient to yield 2 9-inch pastry rounds
Instructions
Peel two medium potatoes, cut into quarters and boil in salted water until cooked (but still firm). Cut into small pieces and then set aside.
To make the onion relish, slice the onion into thin strips. Place several tablespoons of oil in a pan and cook over medium heat for several minutes. Add the sugar, red wine vinegar, and balsamic vinegar. Reduce the heat and cook for 15-20 minutes until the onions are very soft; set aside.
Cook the bacon pieces until crisp; let cool and cut into small pieces.
Remove the green tops from the leeks and slice into a fine julienne, about two inches long. Peel and dice two garlic cloves. Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook for 10-15 minutes until the leeks become very soft- add the diced garlic and fennel seeds and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, assemble the ingredients: combine the potatoes, bacon pieces (if using), leeks and garlic mixture. Add ½ of the onion relish, then continue to add more according to your taste (being careful not to over-sweeten the mixture). Add the fresh thyme and season with salt and pepper according to taste.
Roll out the puff pastry into two 9-inch rounds; making sure the pastry is about 1/8 inch thick. Place one pastry round on a parchment-lined baking tray and add the potato and leek mixture in the center of the dough, leaving a margin of 1 ¾ inches around the edges of the dough. Brush the edges of the dough with egg wash. Place the second piece of dough on top and press the edges of the dough together. Brush the entire dough with egg wash. Use a sharp knife to divide the pastry into 8 sections, being careful not to cut all the way through the dough.
Bake at 400 F. for 25-30 minutes until the pastry turns golden.
13 Comments
Chef Mimi
January 9, 2021 at 6:04 amThis is gorgeous, Fran! I’d much rather enjoy this savory version than anything sweet, epiphany or not! Love the onion jam.
Fran Flint
January 9, 2021 at 11:42 amThanks Mimi. This is the first time I’ve made onion jam- it will also go great on burgers!
John / Kitchen Riffs
January 9, 2021 at 6:08 amI’ve never made a pithivier. Don’t know why know — not too hard if you use store bought puff pastry! I’m all in for a savory one, too — this would make a wonderful dinner. Such a nice post — thanks.
Fran Flint
January 9, 2021 at 11:43 amWoohoo- agreed! Thanks for the comment!
Chris Woollacott
January 9, 2021 at 2:33 pmHey Fran, excellent post. Bought puff pastry is a must: Careme is excellent – life is too short to make your own! Should the dish be called Pithiviers Vichysoisse? A little query – do you cut a small hole in the top of the dish to allow the steam to escape?
Fran Flint
January 10, 2021 at 2:05 amChris, thanks for your comment. I’ve never tried Careme puff pastry but I’ve heard it’s excellent. I’m not sure you can find it easily in the USA, though. Are you in Australia? No, I didn’t cut a hole in the top to let the steam out- my pie didn’t seem to need it. Since ‘vichysoisse’ refers to a cold potato soup, I wouldn’t name my recipe that, although ‘Pithiviers Vichysoisse’ would certainly catch some attention!
angiesrecipes
January 9, 2021 at 3:41 pmI absolutely adore pithivier, but so far I have only tried the sweet version. This looks so yummy with potato leek bacon filling and is definitely on my list to try.
Raymund
January 13, 2021 at 6:08 amOhhh you made me miss France! the pastries there are amazing.
Fran Flint
January 16, 2021 at 1:45 amThanks Raymund. There are some many possibilities with making a savory pithivier!
David Scott Allen
January 15, 2021 at 12:05 amThis is a beautiful dish, Fran! Naturally, when I first saw it, I thought it was going to be a galette des rois . But, as we aren’t eating sweets very much, I’m glad it was mushrooms and leeks! Saved and hope to make soon!
Fran Flint
January 23, 2021 at 1:47 pmThanks David. You can be very creative with using various fillings!
Katerina
January 20, 2021 at 9:21 pmNow this looks amazing, Fran! I love the addition of onion jam – I bet that just gives this dish beautiful depth of flavour. And yes, I can’t imagine eating this whole thing by myself haha… thanks so much for sharing!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
January 23, 2021 at 1:09 amYour savory Pithivier is very impressive Fran, beautiful and it has to be delicious.