Savory Galette with Veggies and Cheese
The savory galette is my new favorite Hero Recipe. It's so easy if you have store-bought pie crust already (although I will say that every time I make pie crust, I remember that it's not that hard to make pie crust). It looks super impressive, especially if you have pretty veggies that you can thinly slice and lay in concentric circles, but it still looks nice if you just pile everything on. And it's a great way to use up random amounts of vegetables and little bits of cheese. I've made this recently with slices of brie as well as dots of blue cheese, both left over from a cheese plate, and they were both fantastic. Lastly, it requires virtually no skill with pastry - all you need to do is fold (and a messy fold is totally fine) - no pinching, crimping, or elaborate Instagram-worthy cookie cutters required.
Feel free to use either fresh or leftover cooked veggies - this is a great place to use up wilted leafy greens, or a whole vegetable such as a turnip and its greens, or just about any roasted vegetables. It also welcomes leftover cooked meats or that-last-bit-of-tomato-sauce in the fridge. Similarly to the Savory Tart, you can just chuck on everything in the fridge. Have fun and enjoy!
Here's what you'll need:
- 1 sheet pan (parchment paper or silicone baking mat optional)
- 1 pie crust, homemade or storebought
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cheese (I used blue cheese in one and Brie in another, ricotta or goat cheese would also be delicious)
- 2 to 3 cups of veggies (I used 2 small beets and their greens, 1/2 a large zucchini and 2 whole leeks)
- Optional: Herby Green Sauce, tomato sauce, or similar condiment to use as a galette base
- Also optional: sausage crumbles, bacon bits, or another meat of choice
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- For serving - consider adding fresh herbs, or lightly dressed salad leaves, plus possibly more cheese
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Make your pie crust so you have time to chill it, or take your storebought crust out of the fridge or freezer and let thaw.
Take a look at your veggies of choice and decide whether you want to pre-cook them before making the galette. I like to saute any alliums, like onion, leeks or scallions, as well as any thinly sliced stems, in some olive oil until tender. I also throw in any greens at the last minute to wilt in the pan and hit everything with a sprinkle of kosher salt.
Root veggies you could either thinly slice or parcook by boiling or roasting - I made the above galette with raw spring beets, but if you're using potatoes, I'd boil and cool them. Veggies that are actually fruits could be left raw, like zucchini or tomatoes, or lightly roasted, like eggplant or (again) tomatoes.
Get your veggies to the point you want them, then roll out your dough to about a foot in diameter. If you're using a sauce like pesto, or if your cheese is spreadable, spread it all over the dough, leaving about an inch worth of space at the edges. Layer on all your veggies, sprinkle cheese on top if you haven't used it yet, and then fold up the edges of the crust. Don't worry if it's a little messy - it's supposed to be RUSTIC:)
Bake for about 30 minutes - I checked at 25 minutes and was happy with the golden-brown look, but you may want to go longer, especially if you have a thick homemade crust. Slice, drizzle with olive oil or fresh herbs or grated Parmesan if you like, and enjoy!
