After a lifetime of cultivating my black thumb, I got the wild idea to start gardening. Our house came with a planter box in the yard, which we had been putting to really great use by growing a feral safari of weeds and other alarming green things. We cleared the hazard zone and planted a variety of herbs, lettuces, and strawberries. Chalk it up to beginner’s luck or simply starting with the easiest crops, but our garden took off. We were soon drowning in a sea of salad and pesto.
This pie was initially about survival. It was a non-frittata, non-salad fridge-clear-out strategy to utilize the drawer dregs and the surplus of herbs. But the result was so fragrant and full of flavor that it quickly made its way into the regular dinnertime rotation. One day I’m going to be a tan and wrinkly old lady living in her beach cottage by the ocean with a brick-lined path leading to her herb garden, and I’ll still be making this pie because this recipe is good enough to withstand the test of thyme.
2 disks Carrot Pie Dough
SAUSAGE AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO FILLING
1 tablespoon olive oil
1½ pounds (680 grams) hot Italian sausage, casings removed
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 white onion, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 cup)
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice (about ½ cup)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large ripe tomato, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 cup)
½ cup pitted green olives, sliced into thirds
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (see Note)
EGG WASH
1 egg white whisked with 1 tablespoon water
HERB TILE DESIGN NEEDS
10 fresh chives
40 small fresh sage leaves
3 fresh rosemary sprigs
3 fresh thyme sprigs
Parchment paper
1½ × 1-inch rectangle cutter
Pastry brush
Paring knife
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up, until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the sausage to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. In the same skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the garlic, onion, carrot, oregano, red pepper flakes (if using), and salt and pepper to taste until the vegetables are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Return the sausage to the pan and add the chopped tomato, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes to heat everything through, stirring often. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
3. Cut the chives into 1-inch segments. Pick the rosemary into leaves and the thyme into small sprigs. Separate by kind and set aside.
4. On a floured surface, roll one disk of carrot dough into an 11 × 13-inch rectangle. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and unfurl it onto a sheet of parchment paper. Mentally divide the rectangle into four even sections. Working one section at a time, lightly brush the egg white mixture on the dough and apply one type of herb per section in a scattered, random pattern, pressing gently to secure. (If your dough becomes warm and melty at any point, slide a flat baking sheet under the parchment and chill in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before resuming.)
5. Use the rectangle cutter to punch out at least 65 herb tiles. Press firmly and use a paring knife if necessary to cut through the leaves. Line up the tiles on another sheet of parchment.
6. Place the tiles in the refrigerator to keep cool. If you plan to chill the tiles for longer than 1 hour, cover the baking sheet to prevent the dough from drying out.
7. Roll the second disk of dough into a 14-inch circle. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and unfurl it over a 9-inch pie pan. Taking the edges of the dough, gently ease the dough into the pan, nestling it into the inner elbows of the pie pan. Trim the excess dough with kitchen shears to create a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang back under, creating an elevated edge.
8. Scoop the cooled sausage filling into the pie shell. Lightly brush the edge with the remaining egg white mixture or water.
9. Arrange the herb tiles on the surface of the pie in a herringbone pattern, lining short edges against long edges. Continue row by row until the entire surface of the pie is covered.
10. Gently press the edges to secure the tiles and run a paring knife around the edge of the pie to trim the excess into a clean edge.
11. Chill the entire pie in the freezer until the oven has come to temperature. The pie can be frozen solid before baking or simply chilled through, about 20 minutes.
12. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
13. When the oven has come to temperature, place the chilled pie on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, then rotate the pie 180 degrees and lower the oven temperature to 350°F. If the edges are already brown, cover with a shield. Continue baking until the crust tiles look baked through in the center, checking every 30 minutes to rotate the pie and cover lightly with foil as necessary, 50 to 75 total minutes. (If baking from frozen, add 30 to 45 minutes to the bake time.)
14. Cool the pie slightly on a rack before slicing and serving.
SUGGESTED SUBSTITUTIONS
Dough alternatives: Basic, Spinach, Spinach with poppy seeds, Whole Wheat Cheddar Chive
NOTES
If using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, make sure they are drained.
Baked surplus herb tiles make excellent crackers.