Clam, Potato, and Bacon Potpie (Page 328)

RECIPE #1225

• Date: Saturday, September 18, 2010 -- 7pm
• Location: East Lansing, MI
• Kitchen: Our House
• Fellow Chef: Matty
• Recipe Rating: A
  

I made a trip to Ann Arbor for seafood a while back and this was one of the recipes I made with the shellfish I acquired on that trip. I started by making pastry dough for a pie crust. While my dough chilled I peeled, cubed, and boiled some potatoes. I cooked and crumbled some bacon, then cooked onion in the bacon fat plus some butter. I added flour to make a roux, then whisked in some heavy cream, whole milk, clam liquor, and Worcestershire sauce. I simmered for a few minutes, then stirred in the potatoes, chopped clams (which my special gentleman shucked for me!), parsley, thyme, lemon juice, the bacon, salt, and pepper. I rolled out the bottom crust and fit it into a pie plate. Then I poured the cooled filling in the crust and placed the top crust on. I brushed the crust with egg wash and slit it then baked the potpie until it was golden. I'm not particularly a fan of clams, but this was delicious! The filling was perfect -- rich and flavorful. The clams definitely had a presence, but without being overpowering. The flaky and golden crust was a wonderful complement to the creamy filling. Yum! I liked it a lot, but my special gentleman was totally blown away by this recipe. He ate this potpie for every meal (including breakfast!) until it was gone. This was serious stick-to-your-bones comfort food. The recipe could easily be modified to make a chicken potpie if you don't care for clams (and I imagine I will do that at some point!). Definitely a keeper!

The recipe is here.

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I haven't blogged much lately. Partly it is because I have been busy: lots of house guests, lots of work, etc... My To-Do list has reached a length where it is depressing rather than motivating. I've been busy. But more than that, I have just been too crabby to blog. I have been a bucket of bad mood the last couple weeks. I felt justified in my bad mood so instead of trying to snap out of it I embraced it, which is never a great plan. This evening, at the peak of my bad mood, I said to my special gentleman, "My life sucks." His response: "No it doesn't. Your life is awesome." I admit, it wasn't the response I was looking for. But I realized in that moment, he was right. My life is awesome. I have the world's greatest husband, a great job, a house I love in a place I enjoy living, two incredibly sweet kittens, wonderful friends -- really a multitude of blessings. So I decided to just snap out of it. And I did. And while nothing external changed, I feel a million times better. I am lying in bed now, under several layers of down comforter, drinking a glass of Chardonnay and listening to a recording of Amazing Grace. And everything seems great. Sometimes a little change in perspective goes a long way.