Carrot Pie with Pancetta and Thyme

 

pie crust:

5 medium sized potatoes

100-150 g / 3.5-5.3 oz butter or olive oil

500-600 ml / 2.1-2.5 cups flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

salt

Or, store-bought puff pastry

filling: 

1.5 kg/ 3.3 lb carrots

100 g/ 3.5 oz (or more) pancetta or bacon, diced

a few sprigs of thyme

salt

extra-virgin olive oil

Peel and slice the carrots thinly and cook in some olive oil slowly in a pan or a skillet with the thyme until the carrots are soft. Add the pancetta and continue cooking until the carrots are slightly golden and the pancetta a bit crispy. Check the salt now when the pancetta has been added to avoid it to get too salty.

Boil the potatoes, and when they are ready, press them through a potato ricer. Do it while they are still warm because when they are cold it is really hard to press them through the little holes. Let it cool down a bit before you add butter, flour and the baking powder. Check if it is salty enough. The dough should be elastic and soft; if it isn't, add flour. Line a pie tin with the dough, leave some dough so that you can decorate it with dough strips if you want.

Fill the pie with carrots and pancetta and bake the pie in a pre-heated oven (175°C / 347°F) for about 30 minutes.

[Lucullian delights]