Chloe Liversidge

“There is an instinctive withdrawal for the sake of preservation, a closure that assumes the order of completion. Winter is a season unto itself.” – Haruki Murakami 

Winter, Murakami suggests, means turning inward. A narrowing of the world to what can be held and warmed. It is the season of choosing solitude. In winter, we make things slowly and stay with ourselves.

I saw this quote scribbled across an F train handrail this weekend, and it made me wonder about the last time I let my mind wander freely. The ensuing train of thought conjured memories of winter break, long hours spent thumbing through recipe books. Standing at the kitchen counter is the perfect place to let one’s stream of consciousness flow.  

This savory pie recipe is laborious. It requires the repetitive calm of slicing and delicate garnishing. The onions take their time, cooking down slowly, and the baharat blooms gently in oil. The chard must be cooked until all traces of moisture are gone. Even the pastry asks for a mandatory rest in the refrigerator. But it gives you something to do with your hands while your mind drifts, loops back and settles. 

Encased in golden puff pastry, the hearty filling of thinly sliced potatoes and sweetly caramelized onion threads through the warm baharat, earthy chard and salty feta. My favorite element is the dill, which stands green and bright against the richness. This is the kind of heartiness that warms you without weighing you down. 

It is an ideal thing to make alone. There is comfort in the solitude of following a recipe step by step, creating pockets of order and structure in a season that encourages unraveling and retreat. 

When the pie is done, you have two choices. You can eat a slice at the counter, or carry it to a table, crown it with dill and cut it into wedges for others. This pie understands both impulses. 

Ingredients:

Potatoes:

• 500g Maris piper potatoes, peeled and very finely sliced on a mandoline

Pastry:

• 2 sheets all-butter puff pastry (650g total)
• 1 egg yolk (for brushing)

Baharat onions:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 onions (500g), finely sliced
• 2 tsp baharat
• 80g currants
• Fine sea salt

Chard:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 600g Swiss chard, stems chopped into 1–2 cm pieces, leaves roughly torn
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 45g dill (30g finely chopped, 15g reserved for serving)
• Black pepper

Cream mixture:

• 200g crème fraîche
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 100g Gruyère, roughly grated
• Fine sea salt and black pepper

Instructions:

1. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with lightly salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium heat and cook for 5 minutes until just tender. Drain and allow to air-dry and cool completely.
2. Make the onions: heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions, baharat and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 25–30 minutes until deeply caramelized. Add the currants in the final 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
3. In the same pan, increase the heat to medium-high and add the olive oil for the chard. Once hot, add the chard, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, then raise the heat to high and cook another 2 minutes until all moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat, stir in the chopped dill and cool completely.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, eggs, ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Fold in the Gruyère and cooled potatoes. Set aside.
5. Line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin (7cm deep) with parchment paper and lightly oil the sides. Lay one sheet of puff pastry into the tin, gently pressing it into the base and sides. Trim and patch as needed.
6. Spread the onion mixture evenly over the pastry base, scatter the feta over, arrange the potato slices and cream mixture on top, then spoon the chard over.
7. Cover with the second sheet of puff pastry. Trim, pinch and seal the edges. Brush with egg yolk and score the top into 8 wedges with a sharp knife. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
8. Place the tin on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour until deeply golden. Remove, release the sides of the tin carefully, and return the pie to the oven for another 10–15 minutes to crisp the base and sides.
9. Rest for 10–15 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate and arrange the remaining dill around the edge like a crown.