Potato Bacon Torte

I've mentioned before that I've really enjoyed watching Food Network recently and trying out new recipes. They had a show called "Next Food Network Star" where chefs competed to win a cooking show on food network. The winner (and our favorite person from the show) was Melissa D'Arabian and one of the dishes she made during the competition was a Potato Bacon Torte. It sounded so intriguing, I had to try it out. So I made it for dinner last night and it was delicious! Here is the recipe so you can try it if you want. It's fairly cheap to make and not really hard, it just takes some time to prepare and then an hour to bake, so plan accordingly.

Potato Bacon Torte

(recipe from melissa D'Arabian with some adjustments from Sheri)

4 strips bacon

3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried)

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 pie crusts, 9-inch (she gives a pie crust recipe, but I just used the one I always use for pies)

3 medium potatoes or 4 small

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup grated Gruyere Cheese (The gruyere I found at the store cost $10 for a small block and this meal is supposed to be cheap! So I used swiss cheese. I don't know how similar it is to Gruyere but I thought it tasted really good.)

1 egg yolk, whisked with a splash of water

Make pie dough and separate into two disks. Put one disk covered into the refrigerator. Roll the other disk out to a 10 inch round and gently fit into a 9-inch pie pan. Refrigerate pan while you prepare the torte ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a skillet, cook the bacon until just crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plate and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the thyme and cream over low heat to a bare simmer. Turn off the heat and let steep for about 5 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs, or if dried thyme was used, leave it.

Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and then thinly slice the potatoes. Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator. Working in circles, arrange the potato slices in the pie crust, stopping to season each layer with salt, pepper, and 1 piece of bacon crumbled over the layer. Continue layering until the pie pan is nearly full. Top with an even layer of the cheese and gently pour cream around and over the entire pie, allowing it to seep down between the potato slices. You may not use all the cream.

Roll out the remaining pie crust. Cover the torte with the dough and crimp the edges closed. Brush the top and edges of the crust with egg wash. Make a few slits in the center of the top crust for the steam to escape, and put the pie pan on a baking sheet. Bake the torte until the crust is browned and crispy and the potatoes are cooked through, about 50 to 60 minutes. If the crust edges get too brown, cover them with some strips of foil. Remove the torte from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

Seves 4-6