Egg and Bacon Pie

Could there possibly be a sexier couple than egg and bacon? They’re the duo with chemistry so sizzling hot that they could teach a masterclass on relationships. Just the slightest whisper of egg and bacon conjures up delightful images of lazy weekend mornings and delicious breakfasts spent with a good book and endless cups of tea. And while this lovely twosome frequently forms the backbone of a good old Full English, today it is being baked into a delicious puff pastry pie and combined with potatoes for a nice, solid slice of cold weather heft.

But first you’ll have to excuse me for a little false advertising, ’cause this egg and bacon pie doesn’t actually have any bacon in it. I like my bacon two shades shy of burnt—put it under cover in a pie and it remains soft, pallid and most unappealing. Instead we’re going to cheat and use prosciutto—a little Italian twist on the dear old pig.

The prosciutto is piled over a couple of layers of thinly sliced potatoes sitting on a pastry base.  A carton of eggs is cracked on top before putting on a nice pastry lid. Then all it needs is an egg yolk wash and a handful of steam vent gashes. Easy peasy.

The pie is a good, solid dish that travels well, so if you have any potluck brunches to attend this holiday season this is a superstar. It tastes good cold, room temperature or hot, and while it is at its most divine made and baked fresh in the morning it can be assembled the night before — it leaves the bottom layer of pastry a touch soft after baking (if you’re a British Bake Off watcher or a Mary Berry fan, you’ll be well aware of the soggy bottom horror) but honestly, the difference is negligible and certainly worth it for a simpler morning. Trust me, no one will notice.

Which also makes this pie a good choice for Christmas morning. Assemble the night before and throw it in the oven to bake while the chaos of opening presents ensues. By the time all that wrapping paper has found its way into the bin this dish will be golden brown and smelling divine.

So, as we head into the glorious wonder of another holiday season, set aside some time to whip up an egg and bacon pie. Heck, make two. Invite the neighbours. Spread a little joy and throw an impromptu Christmas get together. Blast some Abba (I don’t know what it is about Abba that just makes me want to let the whole world in). Served with a big bowl of fruit, fresh orange juice and lashings of hot tea ( coffee if you must) this is the kind of breakfast that inspires people to linger a little and laugh a lot.

~Egg and Bacon Pie~

• frozen puff pastry – one package, thawed (Pepperidge Farm is readily available in the supermarket. Trader Joe’s does an excellent all butter version)
•  potato – 1 medium, peeled and thinly sliced (a mandolin works best)
• prosciutto – 1/2 pound, thinly sliced
• eggs – 12 + 1 to mix with a little milk to brush on top of pastry before baking
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375F.

If you’re using a 12 x 9–ish  size dish as I did, the pastry is the perfect size. If your dish is a little bigger just roll it out a touch. Butter your pan and place one pastry layer in the bottom and up the sides of the pan (but don’t fuss about it!)

Take the potato slices and overlap in a layer over the pastry, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then add another layer of potato slices. I use a mandolin to slice the potatoes so that they’re nice and thin but a knife will work. Just remember that if the potato is too thick it wont cook as quickly and might need some extra time to bake.

Layer the prosciutto over the potato.

Crack the eggs on top of the prosciutto. Doesn’t have to be exactly twelve and also the eggs seem to like clumping together. Nothing you can do about it!

Place the second piece of puff pastry over the top of everything. Press down gently around edges and cut a handful of gashes all over to let out steam (picture above).

Mix an egg with a couple of tablespoons of milk and brush onto the top of the pastry for a nice golden finish.

Bake for about 45-50 minutes. Pastry should be a deep golden brown but if it looks like it is browning too quickly, loosely cover with a piece of foil.

Delicious served with lots of ketchup!