Page 313 - Pie Squared

EGGS FLORENTINE SLAB PIE

WITH A HASH BROWN CRUST

Serves 8 to 10

Sometime in the 1980s, I developed a deep and abiding love for
eggs Florentine: It’s the creamy spinach stirred together with a runny
egg yolk. That sumptuous mixture was precisely the inspiration for
this breakfast pie. It’s what you want on a snowy morning—slightly

wobbly coddled eggs basted with cream in a delicious roasted potato
crust whose scent means carrying the pie from oven to table is a
moment worthy of everyone’s attention. Because nearly everyone
likes bacon, scatter crispy bits across the top. All that, and it’s gluten-

free, too. Do not use a convection oven as a breeze wafting over the
eggs results in a weird, rubbery texture.

Make Ahead: This pie is not suitable for making ahead of time.

½ pound (225 g) smoked bacon, chopped, optional

HASH BROWN CRUST

1 medium onion (142 g), peeled

1½ pounds (680 g) russet potatoes (about 4), scrubbed but not peeled

1 large egg plus 1 egg white, beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

2 tablespoons neutral oil like canola or grapeseed (if not using bacon fat)

FILLING
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen chopped spinach (453 g), defrosted and the liquid