Apple, Sausage & Sweet Potato Pie with Bacon & Provolone

 

Such beautiful, warm, sunny days we’re having lately! It’s just been picture perfect! Today it should reach about 75 and tomorrow about 85. Not sure I’m quite believing the 85 degree forecast, but I’d be a fool to bet, that’s for sure! We just couldn’t ask for a prettier fall! I hope the weather is nice in your backyard, too! But if there’s a chill in the air or the rain is really coming down, this autumn-like pie is just the ticket  to warm you up and chase the dreary day away!

The only thing that could possibly make this pie any better would be if I had picked the apples myself! I was in the mood to play, have fun, and just create something different and unique. Something to capture the spirit of autumn, and the gorgeous colors outside got me thinking about how I could add those beautiful colors into a vibrant dish for supper! 

 

I had always wanted to make a sweet and savory pie, and had sausage and bacon already on hand. Sausage  + bacon = great start! You can’t go wrong with either of them! The staples I already had, too. Celery and onion, plus half of a can of white shoepeg corn begging to be used, and the rest of a package of provolone cheese slices. Oh, yeah, this is getting good! The lattice on the pie was definitely going to be made out of a sheet of puff pastry and I could finally use that pie crust sheet for the bottom! Now it just needed a few extra stars…granny smith apples and sweet potatoes, and I think we can call it a plan! 😉

 

 

Since the sausage is already nicely seasoned, I really didn’t want to add a bunch of herbs and spices, and wanted to let the natural flavors of the fruit and vegetables shine through and not mask them or confuse the palate. I think it was a good call! 😉 It was heavenly delicious, and chock-full of autumn treats! 

 

 

This pie even looks and tastes like fall, with a very nice balance of sweet and savory, added apple cider and dark brown sugar, a little smoky bacon, and a bit of mild provolone cheese for creaminess! You wanna talk about a slice of heaven….

 

This is a must-make, friends! And really very, very easy. I simply served this along with creamy mashed potatoes, and they went really well together. I think this would be a good dish for kids, too, because when they see “pie”, they might not care so much about what’s in it! A lovely, sneaky way to get them to eat a few veggies! 😉 So if you’re hankering for something a little different that has “autumn” written all over it, this is it! Hope you enjoy! Have a great day, all!

 

 

APPLE, SAUSAGE & SWEET POTATO PIE with BACON & PROVOLONE

Serves 6-8

 

1 lb. mild Italian ground sausage

2 ribs celery, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, diced

2 Tbl. butter

2 small to medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut bite-sized, don’t sub yams

2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored and cut bite-sized, leave skin on if preferred

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sweet white wine, can sub apple juice for sweet or apple cider vinegar for tangy

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

6 strips lean thick-cut quality bacon, cooked crisp and broken into 1/2″ pieces

6 slices provolone cheese, torn into 2″ pieces

1/2 cup frozen regular or white shoe peg corn, unthawed

1 tsp. cornstarch

enough pie pastry for single shell deepdish pie

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed and cut into strips with fluted pastry wheel

1 extra-large egg beaten well with 1 Tbl. cold water

 

 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In large frying pan, sauté sausage, celery and onion, breaking up sausage as you go, until sausage is done. Drain grease and add sausage mixture to a large bowl.

In same frying pan, add butter, sweet potatoes, apples, salt, cinnamon, vinegar, sweet white wine, and brown sugar. Stir to mix, and sauté over medium/medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes until crisp-tender and juices are slightly thickened and saucy. Remove with slotted spoon to bowl with sausage. Add bacon, cheese and corn. Fold and toss gently to mix.

Sprinkle in and whisk 1 tsp. cornstarch to frying pan of liquids. Heat over high heat, whisking until just thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.

Line deep, 9″ pie plate with pie pastry. Pile meat/veggie filling into pie, arranging a few pieces to make it fit nicely. Spoon thickened sauce evenly over top. Cover top with a puff pastry lattice. Trim lattice as needed. Flute edge of pie crust. Brush top with egg wash. (One egg beaten with 1 Tbl. cold water.)

Pop into preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 35-40 minutes until golden brown. 

*Let rest at least 30-45 minutes before slicing.