Pota-toma-to Pie -- a savory pie to celebrate summer (my first pie contest)

9th Square is a fun neighborhood -- bar crawls, soccer village, and now a pie contest! Here is the deal: for $15 dollars, you get to enter the block party with tables piled with pies, where you get unlimited pies, ice creams, live music, and a cash bar. Everything goes to charity, and if you bring a pie to share, you get to get in for free. Sounds like fun huh? I mean, can you think of a better way to start of the weekend than all-you-can-eat pies?

We set off right when the pie tasting starts, at 6 o'clock sharp. The first order of business after getting our ticket, was to grab a plate and start eating! We spotted our friend J slicing into my roasted beet pie (with caramelized onions and blue cheese). Right next to it was my pota-toma-to pie, and it was already gone!!! I suppose that was a good thing :D

D got a big slice of a black-berry peach pie, which was really really sweet. I did like biting into the blackberries, they were just firm enough to create little bursts of flavors. I went for an all time classic -- apple pie. It was very nice, not overly sweet (the sour cream helped), with a hint of cinnamon. We also tried E's grilled fruit pie, which I liked quite a bit. I tasted balsamic, or maybe the tartness came from the fruit itself? 

The DJ did a good job cheering for pie consumption, kept reminding us that "Only 2 hours to go! We don't want to waste any pie!" People were in good sport, shuffling pie into their face while walking from one table to another. I was still in search for a savory pie, which proved to be a difficult task. Finally I managed to get a slice of summer squash pie, and took a big bite. Ahh...candied squash...it was a dessert pie after all. 

So here it is, the savory pie that I wish to have tasted. Most of the ingredients were purchased from the farmers market -- oh summer!

Pota-toma-to Pie

serves 6-12

Flaky Pie Crust (Adapted from Sherry Yard’s “The Secrets of Baking”)

• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
• 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp coconut palm sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 6 tsp ice water

Filling

• 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1/4 Vadilia onion, sliced
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp chopped scallion
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• olive oil spray
• dash of paprika (optional)
• chopped basil (garnish)

1. Mix everything of the crust to form a dough. Blend in the butter with a pastry cutter ( I found freezing the cubed butter helps). Separate the dough into two balls, and chill in the fridge for about 2 hours to overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. For each ball of dough, roll out and press into a pie dish. Put a sheet of parchment paper on top, and put a cup of dried beans on top of the parchment. Bake for about  15 minutes.
3. In a large pot, boil the potatoes in salted water for about 45 minutes.
4. While the potatoes are cooking, heat up about 2 tsp butter in a skillet. Add sliced onions and cook until soft and caramelized, for about 30 minutes.
5. Mash the cooked potatoes with butter, milk, half and half, scallion and caramelized onions. Season with salt, pepper, ground cumin, garlic powder and paprika (if using). 
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the mashed potato in the pre-baked pie crust. Sprinkle some salt, pepper, and grated parmesan. Layer the sliced tomato on top. Spray with some olive oil, sprinkle with more salt, pepper and parmesan.
7. Bake the pie in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes. When it is done, decorate with chopped basil leaves.

Cost:
From the farmer's market: russet potato --$3 for a 5lb bag, tomato -- $1 each, basil -- $1.5 bundle, onions -- $2 for a 2lb bag; from the co-op: milk $2.99/half gallon, butter -- $5.69/lb, scallion $0.99/bundle, parmesan $7.99/lb. The rest were from the pantry. Very rough estimate: $6.00/pie.


I had only tasted the pie filling prior to assembling, and it was good. Judging by the speed it disappeared, I can only assume the pie was a great success, and wish I had a slice!