Pork Pie

Pork pie is the perfect holiday dish. Not only is it delicious served hot out of the oven, but it is every bit as well warm or even at room temperature. That means you can bake it before the guests arrive, set it out when they do, and watch it vanish throughout the course of an evening. I would also like to add that pork pie makes great leftovers, but mine never seems to make it that long to know for certain.

8 ounces slab bacon, cut into medium dice

2 pounds ground pork

Kosher salt and freshly

ground black pepper

1 cup chopped celery

2 cups chopped red onions

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice

1⁄2 cup chopped celery leaves

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh savory

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground cloves

Pastry dough for 2 (8-inch) double-crust pies, homemade or store-bought

1 large egg yolk beaten with

1 tablespoon milk

1. Put a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside on a plate. Add the ground pork to the pot drippings along with some salt and pepper, and brown for about 3 minutes. Remove the pork from the pot and set it aside on the plate with the bacon.

2. Add the celery, onions, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze the pot with 1 cup water, scraping up the bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon. Return the pork and bacon to the pot along with the potatoes, celery leaves, parsley, savory, cinnamon, and cloves. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until all of the liquid has evaporated.

3. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

4. Meanwhile, roll out the chilled pie dough and prick it all over with a fork. Line two 8-inch pie plates with half of the dough and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

5. Fill the pie plates with the meat mixture. Cover both pies with the top crusts, trimming and crimping the edges together to seal. Brush the tops with the egg yolk mixture and season with salt and pepper. Cut several steam vents in the center of each pie with a paring knife. 

6. Bake the pies for 45 minutes to an hour, until the crusts are golden brown. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. 

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