Pork Pie

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8-inch (20 cm), 1 1/2-quart (1.4 L) deep pie dish
• •Mandoline with hand guard or sharp chef's knife
• •Rimmed sheet pan
• •Pastry brush
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oven

   Set a rack in the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or 160°C fan). Put a rimmed sheet pan in the oven to heat; the hot metal gives the covered dish immediate bottom heat and catches any juices that escape. Keep the puff pastry cold until the filling is assembled.

2. 2

   Cut the collops

   Cut the pork across the grain into collops, thin slices about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick, and season them evenly with the salt and pepper. Slice the potatoes no thicker than 1/8 inch (3 mm), using a mandoline with its guard or a sharp knife. Keep them even. Thick slices remain firm long after the pork is cooked, while ragged thin edges collapse into the cooking liquid.

   A waxy yellow potato keeps the layers distinct. Floury potatoes can crumble into the juices and turn the lower part of the pie heavy.
3. 3

   Line the dish

   Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch (20 cm) deep pie dish completely with the jambon cru, overlapping the slices slightly and carrying them to the rim. Leave no broad patches of bare ceramic. The ham is not decoration: it seasons the filling, holds the lower layers together, and gives the pie the savory enclosure that a bottom crust would otherwise supply.

4. 4

   Build the layers

   Cover the bottom with half the pork collops in a close, even layer. Scatter over half the Ordinary or Dry Duxelle (No. 223), parsley, and sage, then cover with half the potatoes and half the onion. Repeat with the remaining pork, Duxelle, herbs, potatoes, and onion, keeping the final potato layer level so the pastry will sit neatly. Pour the cold water slowly down the inner side of the dish rather than over the seasonings. Press only lightly; the water needs small paths through the layers.

   Keep the equal weights of pork and potato. That ratio is not brigade scaffolding; it is the structure of the pie.
5. 5

   Seal and gild

   Lay the cold puff pastry over the dish and press it firmly against the rim all the way around, sealing without crushing the layers. Trim it to a neat 1/2-inch (1 cm) overhang. Gild the lid, meaning brush it evenly with beaten egg, then draw shallow streaks across it with the prongs of a fork. Cut a 1 1/2-inch (4 cm) slit in the center so steam can escape. Keep that as the only open vent; random holes let too much moisture out and dry the pork.

6. 6

   Bake until yielding

   Set the pie on the heated sheet pan and bake for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. Begin checking through the central slit after 1 hour 35 minutes: a thin knife should pass through the potatoes to the bottom without catching, the filling should bubble at the vent, and the center should register at least 165°F (74°C). If the crust becomes deeply bronze before the potatoes yield, tent it loosely with foil without covering the vent and continue in 15-minute intervals. Ça se rattrape. The pastry's color does not decide the pie; the potato does.

   Do not turn the heat higher to hurry firm potatoes. The pork will tighten before the slices soften. Shield the crust and give the filling more time.
7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Rest the tourte for 20 minutes before cutting. The juices settle into the potatoes during this pause, so the first serving arrives in layers rather than a flood. Serve warm for supper, or cool completely and chill it before packing for a picnic. Bring a chilled pie toward room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving so the pastry and pork recover their flavor. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for unsmoked jambon cru sliced nearly translucent. Bayonne ham is excellent, and prosciutto is an honest substitute when that is what the counter offers; cooked deli ham carries too much water and cannot line the dish cleanly.
• •Ordinary or Dry Duxelle (No. 223) must be cold and properly dry before it enters the layers. A wet preparation seeps into the pastry and muddies the distinct strata that make this pie work.
• •If hand-cutting the potatoes, stack two or three slices and compare them before assembling. Any thick ones go back under the knife. This small inspection prevents the only serious timing problem in the dish.
• •Serve the warm tourte with a mustard-dressed bitter-leaf salad and a light Gamay. For a picnic, it needs nothing beyond cornichons, bread, and a proper knife.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them for up to 3 days. Reheat covered at 325°F (165°C) until hot at the center, uncovering for the final 10 minutes to restore the pastry.

Advance Preparation

• •Ordinary or Dry Duxelle (No. 223) can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Chill it completely before layering the pie.
• •The finished tourte can be baked a day ahead. Cool it, refrigerate it within 2 hours, then reheat it covered at 325°F (165°C) for 30 to 40 minutes, uncovering for the final 10 minutes.
• •For a picnic, bake the pie the previous day, cool it completely, and refrigerate it. Carry it cold in an insulated bag, let it stand for about 30 minutes before cutting, and return leftovers to the cooler within 2 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 340g)