03 April 2009

Bacon, leek and potato pie

A ribsticking pie for what turned out to be a surprisingly sunny day. Tea was a bit of a hurried affair yesterday after watching your Dad's promo screening at the Tyneside Cinema, but today was far more leisurely.

You'll need:

4 or 5 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped up
a good wodge of mature cheddar, grated
3 or 4 large leeks, washed and sliced
5 or 6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and halved
lots of black pepper
2 or 3 tablespoons of cream, creme fraiche, or at a pinch some milk
shortcrust pastry - enough to lay over the top of your pie dish

Stick the oven on at about 200 degrees C. Dunk the potatoes in a pan of boiling water, and cook for 12-15 minutes until they're tender. Drain, and then slice.

Fry the bacon pieces until they've coloured and start to go crispy (you shouldn't need to add any extra oil, but check they don't stick). Lift them out of your frying pan, and then chuck the leeks in - fry them for a couple of minutes, until they've started to soften.

Layer the sliced potatoes and leek/bacon mixture in your pie dish. Grate lots of black pepper over the top (and maybe sprinkle with a little dried thyme if you have any). Top with lots of grated cheese, and then drizzle over 2-3 tablespoons of cream/milk/whatever.

Roll the pastry out to the size of your pie dish, and place on top. Cut a couple of holes in the top for the steam to escape, and then stick in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry turns golden brown.

We ate this with some steamed broccoli and cauliflower (but it would be equally good cold, with a green salad - it holds together really well, and makes a good picnic pie).

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