Dad's Potato Pie

Dad’s Potato Pie
serves 4-6

When I was growing up there were a few things that my father cooked that were completely unforgettable. Although my mother did the majority of the cooking, when my father participated his signatures were pizza, calzones, stromboli, Sunday sauce, fried eggplant, pasta with beans, incredible ham and cheese omelettes, mind blowing sandwiches and potato pie. Potato pie was often made on a Sunday and served when mom made roast beef or a piece of meat, on the rare occasions that we didn’t have pasta.

The closest comparison to dad’s potato pie would be a soft and cheesy potato croquette. And when I was staring down the leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, hanging out in a glad tupperware on the bottom shelf of my aunts refrigerator, I dreamed of this creamy homage to my father. It’s easy to reheat a batch of mashed potatoes left in the fridge or, even easier, toss them. But I couldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t. I grew up in a home where leftovers were coveted items to make into works of edible art.

So, I got to work. What with the abundance of onions we had from Thanksgiving, leftover pancetta, no shortage of butter or cheeses, this would promise to be a simple and tasty task. It’s been a joy to cook for my aunt and uncle, and this potato pie was one way to take a weeknight meal to another level of yum. My aunt and uncle have expressed nothing but gratitude for the meals I’ve been preparing, but the truth is that I’m grateful. Grateful to be giving something back to them. Grateful for the time we’ve been getting to spend together. Grateful to share some of my favorite childhood meals and recipes. Grateful for their support, company and a place to rest my heart and mind. The feeling of being with family is beyond special. When I used to spend so much time working, and then the time I spent repairing my heart, I never thought I’d be here and now. But I am. I am here with love and trust.

Marbled with love, pancetta, onions, Locatelli, mozzarella and parsley, this rendition of potato pie is slightly different than my fathers because I started with leftover mashed potatoes, but if you don’t have those, you can boil 6 medium/large potatoes to get your potato pie started. Then you’ll want to cool them down and put them through a ricer or masher. Reinvent your mashed potatoes, or take a moment to look at a potato a little differently and, then, get in your kitchen.

Dad’s Potato Pie

Ingredients
4-6 cups of leftover mashed potatoes @ room temperature or 6 medium/large potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled - cooled and put through a ricer or mashed
3 T. butter
2 medium onions, diced
3 oz. pancetta, bacon or ham
1/4 cup Locatelli
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 T. fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Olive oil

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Prepare a 6 cup glass pyrex dish with a drizzle of olive oil and 3 T. of bread cumbs, put aside
Melt butter in a large skillet over a medium low flame, add onions and saute until soft, 10 minutes, then add pancetta and continue to cook for 5-7 minutes
Remove skillet from heat and add room temp mashed potatoes / cooled potatoes, and mix with pancetta and onions, add salt, freshly ground black pepper and cheeses - adjusting salt to taste - fold in egg yolk
Spoon mixture into the pyrex dish and smooth over so the potato mixture is even
Sprinkle the top of the potato mixture with bread crumbs and drizzle with olive oil
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the top of the potato pie is golden brown
Remove from the oven and all to cool for 15 minutes before cutting
Serve with a big beautiful salad, a piece of meat, a roast or burger
Enjoy with people you love