How I Made My Version of Pork Pie

So yesterday, while running my booty off on the treadmill, I happened to catch part of an episode of The Chew. You may think that it's counter-productive to watch food-related television (sometimes I entertain myself with a little Paula Deen) while exercising, but it works for me. I run to support my eating habit.

Just kidding.

Kind of.

The dish of the day was Pork Pie, offered by none other than Michael Symon (who else???). It looked so tasty, and I happened to have some pork products in my freezer, so I thought I'd riff on his pie a little bit. (You can find his version here.) He includes flavors in his that I'm sure are amazing, but  would never make it past my family.

Pork Pie
3 links of Italian sausage, removed from casings and browned
1/2 lb. ham, cubed
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 of an onion, chopped finely
bacon, cooked and crumbled (to taste)
1 cup sharp cheddar
1 cup water
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. celery salt

I put all of this into a stock pot and let it simmer. Symon said that the potatoes should only get to the point of being al dente; I brought it all to a boil and then reduced the heat for about 30 minutes.

After preheated my oven to 450 degrees, I made my pat-in-the-pan pie crust in my cast-iron skillet, and baked it for 10 minutes. Then I pulled the skillet out and put the pork filling in it.

I made a second crust using the same recipe as the first; the only difference is that the second time, I actually formed it into a ball and rolled it out on a floured countertop. (*If the dough is too wet, just add a little flour.) This went on top of the filling, and got an egg wash and some slits in the top to let the steam escape.

I heard someone once say that if something isn't pretty, we just say that it's "rustic." So here's my rustic pork pie, about to go into the oven.

It baked for 15 more minutes at 450. It came out looking like this:

We ate it along with a Caesar salad (my hubby's favorite).

A lot of times, we only think of pies as dessert, but savory pies are so tasty and a great option for cooking on a budget. This is a warm, filling, comforting meal.

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