Sweet & Savory Potato and Leek Galette with Chèvre Goat Cheese

What is a Galette?

I didn’t discover galettes until I was in my fifties and boy, do I wish I had sooner!

Galettes are rustic, free-formed, pies stuffed with a myriad of goodness. The basic concept can be used to make sweet, fruit fillings or savory, vegetable fillings. The combinations are endless! It is part of what makes cooking from scratch so enjoyable to me.

For this recipe I have chosen to use sweet potato and leeks with Chèvre cheese. Crispy bacon is crumbled on top and lends the perfect amount of salt to balance the sweet raw honey that is drizzled on top after baking. You can substitute other seasonal root vegetables to your liking. Parsnips or celery root (different than celery stalk) would be wonderful. Don’t have leeks? What about some scallions, or sweet onions. That would be a good substitute.

I love Chèvre cheese in this recipe, but again, it is customizable and you could use any soft cheese you have. Cream cheese or Queso Fresco would be delicious. Adding some dried herbs to the cheese is also a great addition. Consider adding dried fruit for additional layer of sweetness!

The pie crust I make is a little different than a traditional crust in that I like to add some course cornmeal to it. The cornmeal adds a little texture that we enjoy. A standard crust is perfectly fine to use too though, including a pre-made crust. If you don’t have cornmeal, just make up the difference in the recipe with all purpose flour.

Materials Needed

Baking sheet

Parchment Paper

Rolling Pin

Brush for egg wash

Frying pan

Utensils

Oven

Ingredients

For The Pie Crust
1 1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour (plus some for rolling out the dough)
2 Tablespoons Cornmeal
1/2 Teaspoon Fine Salt
1/2 Cup Butter ( cubed and frozen)
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Ice Cold Water (filtered)
1 Egg White + 1 Teaspoon Water ( Egg Wash)

For The Filling
1 Medium Sweet Potato
1 Leek
3 Pieces Bacon
3-4 Fresh Sage Leaves ( finely chopped)
4 Ounces Chèvre Goat Cheese
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Olive Oil to sauté vegetables

Step By Step Directions

Make the dough and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes while preparing the filling. To make the dough pulse the dry ingredients in a food processor until crumbly. Then remove and place in bowl. Slowly add the wet ingredients and using your hands form a ball. Tightly wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Remove Chevre cheese to bring to room temperature, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

While dough is chilling, peel and chop the sweet potato. Slice white and light green part of leek into rounds. Discard dark upper leaves and root end. Place sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water to rinse and pull apart and then drain.

Sauté leeks and sweet potatoes in frying pan with a little olive oil, the sage leaves and the salt until just tender. Do not over cook. Remove from pan immediately and set aside.

Next, fry the bacon in the same pan you sautéed the vegetables ( no need to dirty another!) and drain excess grease on paper towel.

Remove dough from refrigerator, and use a small amount of flour under dough and roll out in a circular fashion as best as you can. It does not have to be perfect but should be a uniform width to ensure even baking. You want your crust around 1/4’ thick.

Place dough on parchment paper on-top a baking sheet. Next, spread softened Chèvre onto galette dough making sure to leave about an 1 – 1 1/2” edge. Arrange partially cooked sweet potato and leek mixture on top of the cheese. Crumble bacon and put on top of vegetables.

Fold the edges of the dough to form a crust of the pie. It does not have to be perfect, the more rustic the better! Brush the outer edge of the crust with egg wash ( egg white and teaspoon of water). Place baking sheet in center of oven and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle raw honey over galette and allow to cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes prior to cutting and serving.

Below is the recipe that you can print. Please feel free to Pin it to your Pinterest account, and share on social media!