First Pie Crust

Last week my parents were out of town so I had my sister and their dogs over and cooked this potato bacon tort that I had seen on the new Food Network star, Melissa d'Arabian's, show. This was my first-ever attempt at pie crust from scratch. By the time I rolled out my top crust I had already made significant improvement from the bottom crust. Don't you love the letter "K" I cut in the top crust for a vent? :)

My sister loved the dish but I was not thrilled by it. Here are a few things I might change next time. These changes would also make this recipe a little easier to make, in my opinion.

After layering in thin slices of potato and crumbled bacon, Melissa d'Arabian does say to make sure you really season the potatoes well and I can't stress this enough. Plain potatoes are not flavorful at all. I think I might also use more bacon than the recipe calls for because that's what gives it the flavor. She called for 4 strips and I used a bit more but would suggest even more in the future.

Her recipe also calls for thyme-infused heavy cream to be poured over the tort before topping it off with the top crust. I think next time I'll substitute cream of mushroom... easier and (in my opinion) more flavorful. You can also by this in the 99% fat free can (much healthier than the heavy cream).

In addition she does a top layer of gruyere cheese under the top crust. I had never had gruyere cheese on its own and, as a cheese lover, I was not in love when I tried a bite of the cheese alone. I'd just as soon substitute a mild white cheddar next time-- also cheaper, easier to find, and more likely to use the rest of the block in another recipe than the gruyere that is still sitting in my fridge waiting to hit the trash can :)

All in all, great first try at a buttery, flakey crust... but I'll do my own spin next time!