Have you ever wanted to straight up destroy your body? It happens to me all the time, for any number of reasons. Perhaps I had a good day at work and I feel like I deserve a little gluttony. Maybe I had a bad day at work and just want to die. Either way, I usually end up eating a dinner made up of at least 75% butter. Sometimes (all the time), it’s just what I need, and this meal is perfect for it.
Galettes are simply free-form pies, so I used a standard pie dough for the crust. I brushed it with a rosemary- and salt-infused egg wash for a little added sheen and flavor. The crust comes out super soft on the inside, flakey on the outside, tender throughout with a little bit of chew, and filled with butter flavor. The filling consists of sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, and bechamel. The bechamel is really what throws this dish over the top. It’s thick and creamy and rich, and completely dispersed throughout the entire filling. I find that the nutmeg in the bechamel pairs really well with sweet potatoes, so that’s why I went in that direction for the body of the filling. The addition of a little thyme adds a peppery floral note to the filling so it’s not so one-note. A topping of brie near the end of the bake brings the whole thing together into a cohesive pile of creamy mush wrapped in flakey butter pastry, which is exactly what I need at the end of most days.
Butter Count: 18 Tbsp
DOUGH
2 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, frozen
INSTRUCTIONS:
Pour a cup of water into a liquid measure. Place it in the refrigerator. Dice the butter into small pieces and place it back in the freezer.
In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and pulse a few times until the butter is well combined, and in small, irregular pieces - just about 10 short pulses.
Add about half of the water to the food processor and pulse a few times until the water is well distributed. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add up to 1/4 cup more water, if needed, and mix the mixture until it is a bunch of small clumps. Bring them all together with your hands into one large ball. Kneed the ball for about 1 minute. Cut the dough in half. Shape each half into a disc and wrap them in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for two hours.
EGG WASH:
1 egg
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp salt
Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl with a fork. Set the bowl asside.
FILLING:
1 large sweet potato
1 large yukon gold potato
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/4 cups milk, heated
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
Wash the sweet potato and the yukon gold potato. Use a mandolin or a sharp knife with a steady hand to slice them into 1/8-inch slices, or as close as you can get to 1/8-inch slices.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Use a small whisk to stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until a paste form and begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Do not let it brown.
Add the hot milk, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat, add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and continue cooking about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove the sauce from heat and transfer into a large bowl. Stir the thyme into the sauce. Toss the potato slices into the sauce and stir them around until every surface is covered. Kitchen tongs may be helpful for this.
ASSEMBLY:
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Sprinkle flour all over a rolling pin. Roll one of the dough halves out to between 1/4-inch and 1/2 inch on a floured surface. Cut a circle roughly 7 inches in diameter. Place half of the potato filling in a flat pile in the center of the dough, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of edge all the way around the dough circle. The circle does not have to be perfect. It’s better if it’s slightly misshapen for a slightly more rustic looking final product.
Take any portion of the edge and pull it toward the center of the potato pile. Pull a nearby edge up and push it down onto the first folded edge. Repeat this until the dough edges are all folded up and crimped together.
Cut the brie into 6 slices. The surface area of the slices will all be different, but that’s fine.
Place the brie slices on top of the pie.
Lightly re-stir the egg wash and use a pastry brush to add a light coating all over the folded-over pie crust, trying to get as much rosemary onto the dough as possible.
Repeat the above assembly process for the second half of the dough and filling.
Use a spatula to transfer the pies to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Lower the heat to 350F and bake another 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Remove the pies from the oven and allow to cool fully, transferring to a wire rack after about 10 minutes of cooling.
Eat both of the pies in one sitting.