Potato Leek And Cheese 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.

CREAMY POTATO LEEK SOUP II

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or stockpot, bring potatoes and chicken broth to a boil. Cook until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of grease and set aside. Sautee the leeks in the frying pan with the reserved bacon grease 8 to 10 minutes.
• When the potatoes are tender, stir in the fried leeks, heavy cream and bacon. Stir to blend and remove from heat. Serve hot.

CHEESE, ONION, LEEK & POTATO PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C fan forced (200°C normal)/350°-375°F/4-5 gas mark.
• Heat a little oil in a heavy-based - preferably non-stick - pan and gently sauté the onions, spring onions and leek until softish, stirring now and again; remove the pan from the heat; add the minced garlic and thyme to the pan and mix to combine the ingredients.
• Combine all the tasty cheese with the crème fraiche or sour cream.
• Place several layers of potato in the base of a well-greased round oven dish and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; top with half of the sautéed onions, leek and garlic; add several dollops of the cheese mixture (there is no need to spread this out as the cheeses will spread out as the pie starts to cook and the cheeses melt); repeat these steps, ending with the cheese layer.
• Cut a round of pastry to cover and slightly overlap the dish in which the pie is to be cooked.
• Beat together the egg and milk; brush the outside edges of the dish just below the rim with the egg wash and place the pastry round on top of the pie, overhanging the edge of the dish; press down the sides of the pastry onto the sides of the dish and brush the top of the pie and the overlapping edges of the pastry with the egg wash.
• Cook the pie in the lower part of the oven for about 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
• Serve the pie with a salad greens.