Potato & Onion Pie
Now this is a showstopper vegetarian main - like a serious showstopper! It takes the humble potato and onion combo and elevates it with some really mature cheddar, all coated in pastry. You can make a batch of them in advance and just chuck them in the oven for 20 mins when you’re ready to serve. Also, have some fun with the pastry, make the initials for the people they’re for on top, or use some creative decorative slicing; it’s your canvas!
Prep Time: 24hrs
Cook Time: 20 mins
Difficulty: Medium
Serves: 2
Ingredients
Potatoes - 750g (medium / large)
Onions - 2
Mature Cheddar - 250g (best quality you can get)
Butter - 125g (salted or unsalted)
Egg - 1 yolk
(Optional) Peas and crème fraîche
Shortcrust Pastry (below or 500-600g store bought)
Plain Flour - 200g
Unsalted Butter - 200g (cold)
Egg - 1
Specialist Equipment
mandolin / something change can slice very finely
Loaf/ bread tin
Method
Potato Pie Step One - The Day Before
So to make it easier on yourself, do steps one to three the day before (although it can be done on the morning of).
Line the base of a bread tin with baking paper and pre-heat the oven to 160°C (180°C for non-fan ovens).
Peel the potatoes and slice them using a mandolin on a fine setting. Do the same for the onions (place in a separate bowl to the potatoes though)
Finely great the cheddar and place in another bowl.
Melt the butter and place in yet another bowl.
Potato Pie Step Two - Terrine
Place a thin later of the potatoes on the bottom of bread tin and brush with some of the melted butter and some seasoning. top a thin later of onions and a sprinkling of cheese. Repeat this process (you can mix up the layers a bit if you like) of alternating potatoes, butter, seasoning, onions, and cheese until you fill the terrine. Note press down the layers every now again whilst you’re filling the bread tin up to make it nice and compressed.
Tightly cover the bread tin with a couple of layers of foil to stop moisture evaporating and place in the oven for c.2 hours until the potatoes are cooked all the way through.
Potato Pie Step THree - Pressing Matters
Once the potatoes are cooked through, remove from the oven, cover with a sheet of baking paper, and place a weight on top of them to compress the layers. The easies way it to place something flat on top (like another bread tin) and then stack a series of cans on top to provide some weight.
Once the potatoes have cooled to room temperature transfer to the fridge overnight / until you’re ready to make the pastry part.
Potato Pie Step Four - Pastry
If you’re buying pastry then skip this step.
Bring the butter out of the fridge about 20 mins in advance.
Sieve the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt.
Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the bowl with the flour, stir the butter into the flour using a knife until coated. Then gently rub the flour / butter mix through you’re fingertips until you have the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs and only a few small lumps of butter remaining.
Add a beaten egg into the flour-butter mix and stir together using a knife. Then bring together using your hands. if not coming together yet then add a tablespoon of cold water and mix further. Repeat adding the water until it comes together.
Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 30 mins to rest.
Potato Pie Step Five - Potatoe Cube
Take the potato terrine out of the bread tin.
Slice the potato into large cubes (this will be each pie’s filling).
Potato Pie Step Six - Wrapping
Remove the pastry from the fridge (let it warm at room temperature for 10 mins).
Cut off a little of the pastry and on a lightly floured surface roll into a square 2-3cm larger than the potato cube (it should be about the thickness of a £1 coin). Place the potato cube on top of the pastry square.
Using another piece of pastry roll a slightly larger square (this will wrap over the top of the pie).
Make an egg wash mixing one egg yolk and two teaspoons of water. Brush the potato cube and pastry base with the egg wash. Keep the rest of the egg wash for later.
Place the larger sheet of pastry you’ve just rolled on top of the cube and very (very!) gently smooth / brush the pastry down the sides of the cube using your fingertips to get a snug fit around the cube/ get rid of the air. Seal the pastry top onto the pastry base.
Using a knife, trim the base so it’s about 1cm away from the cube and crimp the pastry together using you fingers or a folk.
Potato Pie Step Seven - Decorations
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (220°C for non-fan ovens).
Now it’s time to decorate, you can play around with this, whatever works for you. If you want to make the plat, roll a long thin sheet of pastry e.g. 15cm by 3cm, and cut three pieces of long string out of it. Using you fingers smooth the square edges of the string to make them more cylindrical and then plat them. You could also try making a initials for people to stick on top. Use a little egg wash to stick any of the decoration to the pie.
Once you’ve finished the decorations, brush the pie with a coat of the egg wash and place in the fridge for 15 minutes. Remove from the fridge and brush a second coat, return to the fridge for another 15 minutes.
Using a sharp knife, cut some decorative slits into the pastry (try not to go all the way through).
You can now store back in the fridge until needed. Then when you’re ready, place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked all the way through.
Potato Pie Step Eight - Potato & Onion Pie
Whilst the pie is cooking (if you’re making them) boil the peas in a pan with a little water and then blend with the crème fraîche using a blender or hand blender.
Serve the pie straight out of the oven on a bed of the blended peas.
And that’s it, hope you enjoy!