Savory Pie Bites

Blue Cheese, Skillet Red Potatoes, Pancetta, Caramelized Onion and Rosemary 

Herbed Goat Cheese, Zucchini, Parmesan and Thyme

Every Christmas my parents host an Annual Lighted Boat Parade Party.  Friends and Family are invited over to enjoy appetizers, drinks, parade viewing and lots of laughs!
Our house is perfectly situated on the hill overlooking the canal where the boats pass by... providing perfect viewing from our deck :)

I wanted to help my mom with the menu and bring a few dishes she could bake and serve easily.

They look more advanced than they really are.   Just a little time consuming with all the assembling...but definitely not difficult.

Get creative with the toppings and different combinations.  I didn't use a recipe... I just used up what was in my fridge.  So if you have asparagus, use that instead on zucchini. Herbs de Provence instead of fresh herbs.  Brie in place of Blue.

You get the idea :)  

This recipe is the perfect example of sticking to my cooking philosophy:

"don't make it so technical" 

I even combined the little bit I had left of Humbolt Fog Blue and Point Reyes Blue in the Cuisinart to give me more and make it creamy (spreadable).  Many foodies would call that move sacrilegious... but that's ok, we're not making cooking technical... just making it fabulously delicious! 

I also combined in the Cuisinart, feta, Herbs de Provence, good olive oil and garlic for the Herb Goat Cheese..

I bought this adorable cookie cutter from Sur la Table and have been dying for an excuse to use it.  You can use any shape though.  Stick to about 1.5 inches in diameter.
The crust is simply store bought pie dough...making this all the more simple for the busy lady (or man!) to throw together.

(Don't assemble more than 1 hour before baking or the center will get a bit soggy)

Just stick to the order and you can't go wrong:
Preheat 400
Parchment paper

Cookie cutter dough

Top with a teaspoon of cheese

Followed by veggies

End with Garnish (Shaved cheese, fresh herbs, ground pepper good salt)

Keep in mind that these are only baked for 10-12 minutes.  Therefore, you will need to slice veggies thinly, or even cook first like I did with the potatoes.
(I don't need to explain that though, right? Potatoes take longer than 12 minutes to cook!)

Potato and Pancetta 

Recipe:
Pie Dough
Blue Cheese
Thinly sliced potatoes
Pancette
Red onion thinly sliced
Rosemary for Garnish

Preheat 400
Cookie Cutter Dough and place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Top each with 1 t of cheese, spread to the sides
Caramelize the onion over very low heat, in a little oil.  Stirring frequently.  Add a bit of sugar at the end of cooking.
Meanwhile, for the potatoes and pancetta:
In a large non stick skillet cook the pancetta over medium heat, stirring frequently.
With a slotted spoon, drain the bacon on a plate topped with a paper towel.  Leave the bacon grease in the pan.
Fry the thinly sliced red potatoes in the bacon fat.  This will take a while.  just keep stirring until they are well browned.
layer potato, bacon, onion and rosemary.
Bake 10-12 minutes
After baking sprinkle with a bit of goooooood salt to really make it bang!
Try fleur de sel

Zucchini and Herb Goat Cheese