I’m going through a bit of a pie phase at the moment. Mainly because I’ve recently rediscovered just how easy it is to make shortcrust pastry after a lazy year of using store bought which quite frankly is just not the same.

This is a lazy using up leftovers pie and it’s a rather thrifty one too. You could use up any leftover mash or boiled potatoes – I used half of a tin of new potatoes I had leftover from making another meal and I warmed them before running through my potato ricer. I used a chunk of cheese leftover in the fridge which was a little past it’s best but still perfectly edible and 1/2 an onion. For a twist I dolloped some wholegrain mustard throughout the pie but next time I would definitely mix it with the cheesy, oniony mash for a more well distributed flavour. As it was we had little bursts of mustard – which was lovely but I think mixed in would taste even better.

Cheese, Potato & Mustard Pie

You will need:

For the pastry:

225g plain flour
100g butter ( or a combo of butter and lard )
2tbsp of cold water
Pinch of salt

For the filling:

Some leftover potatoes mashed
About 50g of Cheddar ( or any other suitable leftover cheese) grated
1/2 an onion diced
1.5tbsp of wholegrain mustard

To glaze:

1 egg, beaten.

First make up your pastry:

Mix flour and salt in a large bowl and then rub in the butter. Add your cold water a little at arise and mix with a knife until you have a stiff dough. You may not need all the water or you may need slightly more. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for about 30 mins. Remove from fridge and allow to come back to room temperature before rolling out.

* it’s worth noting I have also made the pastry in my food mixer and didn’t notice a massive difference – just a slightly heavier texture so ideal if you are in a hurry.

Whilst you are chilling/resting your pastry, prepare your filling. Mash your potatoes, grate your cheese and lightly sauté your diced onions and combine in a bowl.

Preheat oven to gas mark 5.

Split your dough into two and roll out one half quite thinly so that it covers your pie dish and the sides. ( I used a smallish pie dish which was enough to feed 4 people) You could blind bake at this point although I don’t with this type of pie. Fill your pie with your cheesy mixture and then dollop some mustard throughout the pie or you could mix the mustard into the cheesy mix first. Roll out your remaining dough and cover your filling, pressing around the edges to seal and then prick the centre of your pie with a fork to let the steam escape.

Brush with beaten egg and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.

*The above photo also has a mincemeat and brown sugar apple pie in it which I will share later this week. It was incredible.

Try to leave it cool slightly before eating to avoid burning your mouth. It’s lovely served with crispy bacon, egg and beans.