It’s the first Wednesday of February and I’m taking a quick break from the #FreshTastyValentines event to celebrate “American Pies” with the #FoodieExtravaganza crew. My blogging friend Wendy over at A Day in the Life on the Farm is hosting today.

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t even look at what an “American” pie would be. All that comes to mind is apple, or maybe cherry. Pies aren’t my favorite dessert. I have an issue with warm fruit. My number one pie is Key Lime – cool and tart! Instead, I decided to go the savory route today and make a side dish that could work nicely with a brunch spread.

Yet another confession: I wasn’t happy with the photography. I struggle immensely with photographing cheese. AND the recipe actually called for gruyere, not cheddar. I accidentally deleted gruyere from my grocery list (it was part of this shopping fiasco) so I had to use what I had – cheddar. Which worked quite well, (Hey, cheddar is more American so maybe my dish does qualify after all!) but provided that yellow/orange tint. I was going to “give up” and try a different pie. But that was an even bigger fail! The only pie dish I have wasn’t large enough for the recipe I was making and everything had to be tossed into a dutch oven instead – delicious, but not pretty, and definitely not a pie. (Because it was a huge hit with Firecracker and myself, I will be trying it again with either a new pie dish or simply halving the recipe so it fits, so stay tuned for that one!)

So here I am sharing a fantastic recipe with mediocre pictures.

Cheddar Leek Potato Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 bunch leeks, thinly sliced
• 1 large Russet potato, thinly sliced (I used a mandoline)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 C half-and-half
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 C shredded cheddar cheese

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a pie dish with the thawed puff pastry. Trim and patch as needed to fit.
2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the leeks until cooked.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the egg and half-and-half.
4. In another small bowl whisk together the thyme, garlic powder, pepper, and salt.
5. Evenly layer 1/3 of the sliced potatoes in the pie crust, top with 1/3 of the leeks, 1/3 of the spice blend, and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat. For the final layer: place potatoes, leeks, and spices, pour the half-and-half over top of the pie, and top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake 60-70 minutes, or until golden, bubbly, and a knife can cut smoothly through the potatoes.

*This recipe is adapted from Karen at http://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2015/03/potato-leek-pie.html*

Be sure to check out these other pies:

BLT Pie by Georgina of G’Gina’s Flavors Palatte

Cheeseburger Pie by Kathleen at Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Grapefruit Pie by Rebekah at Making Miracles

Ham and Broccoli Quiche by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm

Homegrown Blackberry Pie by Carlee of Cooking with Carlee

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie by Lauren of From Gate to Plate

Peaches and Cream Pie by Elaine at Cookin and Craftin

Penne Pie by Terri at Our Good Life

Red Velvet Pudding Pie by Teri of The Freshman Cook

Tar Heel Pie by Tara of Tara’s Multicultural Table

The Impossible Coconut Pie by Stacy of Food Lust People Love

Walnut Crumble-Topped Apple Tart by Caroline at Caroline’s Cooking