This Bacon Potato Tart, is like creamy sliced potatoes, with bacon all wrapped up in a flaky buttery pastry.
This gorgeous, cheesy, creamy potato tart is one of my favourite pies to make. I first discovered it on Brown Eyed Baker, though I can’t find it there now. However, the original recipe is by Melissa D’Arabian.
With this list of tempting layers, it’s easy to understand why I have actually, literally eaten this next-level potato bacon pie for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- Creamy potatoes
- Super buttery, super flaky pastry
- Crispy sautéed bacon
- Fresh thyme
- Cheese
If you love a good savoury pie, you’ll love this Steak and Mushroom Pie or this Bacon and Potato Quiche too.
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Ingredients for bacon and potato tart
- Flour, butter, salt and water are all you need to make the super simple pastry dough. It takes just minutes in a food processor.
- Potatoes: You’ll want to use a good starchy potato. I use Royal Blue for their amazing flavour but what you can get will depend on where you are. Try Sebago, Russet, King Edward or Maris Piper too.
- Cream: Thickened, heavy or pouring cream are what you need and it needs to be full fat.
- Bacon: I like to buy whole rashers and dice it up myself since I like meatier as opposed to fattier bacon.
- Cheese: Gruyere is what the original recipe calls for but I find a good full fat cheddar is also amazing. Again, not light as it doesn’t melt so well.
- Thyme: The thyme needs to be fresh. Dried doesn’t taste as good.
How to make it
You’ll start with that buttery, flaky pastry. It tastes amazing, turns out crisp and golden and has become my go to recipe.
- Place flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until it looks like big crumbs.
- Slowly pour in the ice cold water just until it starts clumping.
- Flatten it into two disks and wrap them in baking paper or plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Now roll out one piece and line your pie tin with it and place it back in the fridge.
- Now fry up the bacon until crispy, then use the same pan to warm up the cream and infuse it with thyme.
- With everything ready, start layering it up in the pie crust.
- Top it with the other rolled out pastry and pinch the edges to seal them.
- Brush all over with an egg wash and bake until golden and crisp.
Tips and tricks
- Use cold butter & cold water: This pastry becomes so flaky and crisp from the fact that it stays cold and the little pieces of butter don’t melt. They will release steam when it bakes creating the flaky layers.
- Don’t add too much water to the pastry or it will become soggy. This is meant to be a short, flaky pastry so too much water will make it dense.
- Don’t handle the pastry dough too much: It needs to stay cold, so when you tip it out of the food processor, literally just pull it together enough to hold. Don’t knead it or the warmth from your hands will melt the butter.
- You must chill the dough: This helps any gluten that formed by the handling to relax and keeps that butter super cold.
- Ideal potato thickness is around 2-3mm – the thinner the better. A very sharp knife will make this easier and actually safer too.
- You must season every layer: A good pinch of salt between every layer.
- Edges getting too dark? Just wrap some foil around the edges so they stop browning as the pie continues to cook.
The most buttery, flaky pastry
The pastry on this bacon potato tart has never failed me once. I’ve used it or slightly amended versions of it in so many recipes since.
Once it’s baked, it looks like a crust you’ve spent ages getting just right. No one will know it took only minutes.
The most important thing for this pastry recipe is to not play with it too much. Use cold, cold butter and where the recipe says to just pull the dough together, literally just pull the dough together.
See it here in my Steak and Mushroom Pie and I use my adapted version on these Mini Lamb Pies. How about a sweetened version in these Nutella Hand Pies.
Without further ado, I urge you to go and make this bacon potato tart for yourself. It’s perfect on it’s own or with simple grilled meats.
More potato dishes
- Easy Cheesy Potato Bake
- Sheet Pan Hash Browns
- Warm Potato and Asparagus Salad
- Garlic Butter Potatoes with Crispy Prosciutto
- How to make Perfect Roast Potatoes
- Simple Potato Salad with Crispy Prosciutto
- Roasted Garlic Potato Chowder
- Pork and Fennel Potato Croquettes
Did you try this potato and bacon pie recipe?
Leaving a rating and comment below the recipe is so helpful!
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Ingredients
Pastry
- 226 g unsalted butter, cubed and chilled (2 sticks / 8oz)
- 325 g plain flour (2 ½cups / 11.4oz)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6-7 tablespoons ice water (notes 1)
Filling
- 150 g bacon, diced
- 3 medium potatoes (I use royal blue), peeled
- ⅓ cup grated cheddar cheese
- ⅔ cup thickened (or heavy) cream
- 7 sprigs fresh thyme
- Salt & pepper to season
- 1 egg yolk, whisked with a splash of water
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Instructions
- Place the butter, flour and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times until it looks like wet sand.
- Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to just pulse between each addition until the mixture just starts clumping together.
- Turn the dough out onto a board and split in half. Gently, just pull the dough together and wrap each half in plastic wrap, using the wrap to help you pull it into a disk. It's very important not to handle the dough too much. Chill for 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one half of the dough to about 4mm thick and gently place it into a 9 inch pie tin. Place the tin in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 395F / 180C fan forced.
- In a frypan, cook the bacon bits until just crispy. Set aside.
- In the same pan, use paper towel to soak up any large pools of grease but leave a little, then add the cream and two thyme sprigs. Heat over low heat until just starting to steam. Don't boil. Set aside and let it steep for about 5 minutes before removing the thyme sprigs.
- Slice the potato very thinly – 2-3mm is perfect. Remove the stalks from the remaining sprigs of thyme.
- Take the pie tin from the fridge. Place a single layer of potato slices on the bottom. It's best to work in a circle, just overlapping each one. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle a quarter of the bacon and thyme leaves.
- Repeat to do a second layer. After the second layer, spoon over half of the heated cream and cheese. Do a third and fourth layer of potato, seasoning, bacon and thyme. Then top with the rest of the cream and cheese.
- Roll out the second portion of pastry dough and lay over the top of the pie. Crimp together the edges all the way round to seal the pie.
- Brush all over lightly with the egg wash and use a knife to poke three small holes in the top for steam to escape.
- Place in the oven for 50 minutes. The top should be nice and golden. If you notice the edges getting too dark too early, wrap the edges in foil until the cooking time is up.
- Allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing (this helps it to hold it’s shape when you serve it up).
Notes
- I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (4 teaspoons)
- For best results, always weigh ingredients like flour. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you don’t have them, use the spoon and level method. Don’t scoop.
- It’s very important not to handle the dough too much – just enough to pull it together. For those flaky layers, it’s vital it stays cool and not overworked.
- Best potatoes are Royal Blue, Sebago, Russet, King Edward or Maris Piper.
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3 Comments on “Bacon Potato Tart”
I have never tried bacon tart!
It’s very good
Ok fine if you say I will try it once!