Claude Monet’s Potato Pie
If you’ve ever visited Monet’s home and studio in Giverny, France, you know that one of the most exceptional rooms in his home is the grand kitchen, clad in blue-and-white tiles and lined with copper pots. The Impressionist master was not only a painter but also a gourmand, delighting in hearty meals of which he kept copious notes in his culinary journal. In The Monet Cookbook by Florence Genter (Prestel, 2016), discover some of the artist’s favorite recipes, including this one for a rustic potato pie.
For the pastry:
500 g (4 cups) flour
250 g (17 tbsp, or a bit more than 2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 egg yolks
Salt
For the filling:
6 (1.2 kg, or 2½ lb in all) firm, medium-sized potatoes
3 onions
1 small bunch parsley
150 ml (5 fl oz, or a bit more than ½ cup) heavy cream
1 whole egg
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Resting time for pastry: 2 hours.
Preparation time: 30 minutes.
Cooking time: 2 hours.
Start by preparing the pastry: Cut the butter into small cubes and place in a bowl; add the flour with 1 pinch of salt, then mix together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Mix in the egg yolks and shape the dough into a ball.
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Press out the dough with your palm, working from the center to the side to obtain a smooth dough. Repeat the process several times until the dough is even. Shape it into a ball again, wrap in plastic wrap, and leave to rest in the fridge for two hours.
When you are ready to use the pastry, preheat the oven to 180ºC (gas mark 4, or 350ºF).
Peel the potatoes and slice into rounds. Soak the potato slices in cold water. Peel the onions and cut into rounds. Dice the parsley.
Take the pastry out of the fridge and divide it into two uneven-sized pieces. Place the larger piece onto a floured surface and roll it out into a circle large enough to line the bottom and sides of a shallow, round, earthenware dish. The pastry should slightly overlap the sides. Roll out the second piece of dough into a circle just a little larger than the dish.
Drain the potatoes and dry them with a clean paper towel. Arrange them in the dish in a single layer and scatter with the onion rings and diced parsley. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper, then add the cream. Cover with the second circle of pastry, pinching the two sheets of pastry together to seal the edges.
Make a hole in the middle of the pastry (to let the steam escape while cooking), and carefully insert a funnel made by rolling up a small piece of thick paper. Beat the whole egg, then brush the pastry with it before it goes into the oven. The pie should take 2 hours to cook. If it turns golden before then, cover it with a piece of lightly greased parchment paper.
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