Mary Berrys Cheese Leek And Potato Pie Recipes

POTATO, LEEK AND CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• You will need a 25cm (10in) round pie dish. Leave the butter and lard for the pastry in the freezer for 1 hour. To make the pie filling, melt the butter in a wide-based saucepan or deep frying pan, add the leeks and onion and fry over a high heat for 2-3 minutes. Cover with a lid, then lower the heat and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender but not browned. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water in a separate pan for 8-10 minutes until just tender. Drain well. Heat the milk in a separate pan until just coming to the boil and remove from the heat. Remove the lid from the pan with the leeks and onion, turn up the heat to drive off any excess liquid, then sprinkle in the flour. Stir in and cook for 1 minute, then gradually blend in the hot milk and bring to the boil, stirring. Leave to bubble for about 5 minutes until thickened, then add the mustard, thyme and the two cheeses and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cooked potatoes to the sauce and stir in. Pour the filling into the pie dish and sit a pie funnel (or an upturned eggcup) in the middle of the dish to support the pastry. Cover and set aside until the filling is stone cold (see tip). To make the pastry, measure the flour into a large bowl. Take the butter and lard straight from the freezer and coarsely grate into the flour (see tip). Add 150ml (5fl oz) of water and stir together to combine into a firm dough. Sprinkle a work surface with flour, add the dough and knead until smooth. Roll into a rectangle about 20 x 50cm (8 x 20in), then fold up the bottom third of the pastry to the middle and fold the top third down over it, creating three layers. Turn the pastry through 90 degrees, roll again and fold, then turn and fold twice again to give 12 layers in total. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7. Roll the pastry on a floured work surface until about as thick as a £1 coin and cut out a disc 3cm (1¼in) bigger than the pie dish. Cut a long thin strip about 1cm (½in) wide to fit around the top of the dish. Wet the lip of the dish, lay the thin strip of pastry on top and press down (see tip). Wet the top of the pastry lip and lay the pastry disc on top, pressing down and crimping the edge. Re-roll the pastry trimmings and cut out leaf shapes for decoration (see tip). Brush the top with some of the beaten egg and arrange the leaves on top. Make a little hole in the centre. Brush the top of the pie with more beaten egg and sit it on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until crisp and golden on top and the filling is piping hot. Serve with a green vegetable. Cook time: 1 hour - 1 hour 10 minutes, plus chilling Prepare ahead: The base can be made and left in the pie dish up to a day ahead. Top with the pastry up to 6 hours before cooking. The pastry can be prepared ahead and chilled in the fridge overnight. Freeze: Both the pastry and the pie freeze well uncooked. Mary's Everyday Tips: Wrap the butter and lard blocks in kitchen paper and use this to hold the fat while grating. The filling needs to cool down completely as any residual heat will start melting the pastry and cause it to sink when baking in the oven. Adding a strip of pastry to the edge of the pie dish helps raise the pastry a little and prevents it from going soggy during cooking. Don't re-knead the trimmings - lay them on top of each other and then roll, as this keeps the layers in the pastry intact.

LEEK, CHEESE & POTATO PIE

Steps:

• To make the pastry, sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl and add 1 tsp sea salt. Coarsely grate in the cold butter, then use your fingertips to work into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Pour over the vodka and use a butter knife to mix it in, then pour over 2 tbsp cold water and stir again with the knife. If you need to, add a little more water until it comes together as a dough, about 1-2 tbsp. Lightly knead the pastry to a smooth dough in the bowl, dust lightly with flour and wrap in baking parchment. Rest for at least 30 mins.
• Peel and cut the potatoes into 5mm- thick slices and put them in a lidded saucepan. Cover with cold water, add a generous pinch of salt, bring to the boil with the lid on, then lower to a simmer and cook for 8-10 mins until just tender. Drain and leave to steam-dry.
• In a large non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil, bay leaf and butter together over a medium heat, then add the leek and onion. Season well and add a good grating of nutmeg. Cook, stirring, for 8-10 mins, until softened. Add about 100ml water, and cook until most of it has evaporated. Discard the bay leaf and stir in both the mustards and parmesan. Set aside to cool. Butter and flour a 20cm round pie dish.
• Roll ¾ of the pastry out on a lightly floured surface in a circle larger than the pie dish, then line the dish. Roll the rest into a large circle for the lid and chill both for 10 mins. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Spoon a layer of the leek mixture into the lined dish, grate over some cheddar and top with a layer of potatoes and the melting cheese slices. Repeat the layering until you have filled the pie dish - press down to compact it.
• Brush some of the egg around the edges, top with the pastry lid and crimp together. Egg wash the lid, scatter over some sea salt and cut two slits in the lid. Bake for 45-50 mins until golden.
• Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 mins, then slice and serve with a watercress salad, if you like.

CHEESY LEEK AND POTATO BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 220°C.
• Boil potatoes. Cut leeks into 1 cm slices. Melt 1/2 of the butter in a pan and cook leeks for about 10 minutes.
• Drain and mash potatoes with the other 1/2 of butter, the egg and 3/4 of the cheese.
• Season to taste, stir in the leeks and turn into a large ovenproof dish.
• Top with remaining cheese and bake for about 10 minutes, until golden. Will take longer if you have prepared the dish in advance.