The savory apple pie.

I was driving an apple pie to a dinner party, starving, smelling this crust that has converted many a non-pie eater, and wishing I could pull over to the side of the road and eat the pie for dinner.

Because apple pie for dinner would be the BEST THING EVER, right?

So I started adding ingredients in my head. Sausage was an obvious choice.  Potatoes to pick up some of the apple slack seemed like a good idea. An onion was thrown in last-minute, to increase the savory flavor. I used the same apple pie spices, a decision which I obsessed over. And, at the end, I sliced some sharp cheddar and placed it on each slice.

My dinner guests – brave, crazy, delightful people who posed awkwardly for photos at the dinner table – were generous with the praise.

The concept is a win, but I’m going to make some changes for the next pie: replace the italian sausage I used for chorizo (an earthier, darker flavor will add a stronger bottom note to the flavors), caramelize the onions (again, for depth of flavor, and also to give the pie some more stickiness), and either cut the potatoes or extend the baking time to accommodate their stubbornness.

Who wants to help me eat the next attempt?