Paul Richardson’s Butter Pie - simple and delicious
Thanks to days of research and years of eating, I have come up with a world-class butter pie. I am confident that this pie is better than any I've had before.
I take inspiration from the Hairy Bikers, keefcooks.com and my grandmother, Dorothy Earnshaw, whose meat and potato pies were unbeatable. Thank you, Nan.
Pastry can go wrong so I recommend a few small trial runs of your ideal pastry from mixing, to rolling and baking. These small scale, trial runs, will perfect your pastry.
Also, there is a variety of potatoes and flours to choose from. The choice is yours and it is fun to try a few out. A blend of different potatoes might be an option, and leaving the skin on may add fibre and flavour, although some people may not like the skin bits inside! Quantities of onion, cheese, butter are all to your taste.
This is not 100% a healthy meal, given the amount of calories from carbs it contains. However, the use of healthier margarines may add useful fatty acids, leaving the skin on the potatoes, using more onions, and adding plenty of iron-rich herbs, or the odd pea, may add some important nutrients. Allergies may necessitate gluten-free ingredients.
Cheese isn’t strictly in the original so it is optional. However, potato pie is what cheddar cheese was made for. It contains useful calcium and proteins, and tastes sublime. This pie is best eaten after a bout of gardening, a long walk in cold weather or after a moderate-to-heavy session of love-making. It restores missing energy and inspires the soul. Put some music on if you like, and tuck in.
Add pickles, gravy and brown sauce but the pie is tasty enough as it comes.
Ingredients
Pastry
Butter/Lard
Flour
Salt
Whisked Egg
Water
Pie Filling
Potatoes
Onion
Seasoning
Mature Cheddar Cheese
Prepare pastry :
Use a ratio of 2:1 Flour to Fat : E.g. 300g flour + 150g fat
Add flour, fat and salt to a bowl. Mix with fingers or blitz in a machine. Form a sandy mix.
Add small drops of water and mix or blitz. The sandy mix turns into a ball of pastry. If it doesn’t form, add a few drops of water at a time.
Wrap the ball in cling film and put in the fridge.
Potatoes and onions
Slice potatoes thinly and boilin salted water for 10 minutes or until the slices are soft but not falling to bits.
Drain the potatoes and return to the warm pan and gently heat to dry them off.
Sweat a chopped onion in plenty of salted butter until soft and sweet
Add the sweated onions to the potatoes.
Add salt and pepper and any herbs you like, and mix them together.
Preparing the pie
Turn on the oven to about 160-180 C
Dust flour in your pie tin or dish.
PIE BASE
Roll pastry out on flour, fairly thinly to size of your pie tin.
Place the rolled pastry onto pie tin and press down gently into the sides.
Prick the flat area of the pie base with a fork a few times.
PIE LID
Roll another piece of pastry to form the lid, exactly the same thickness as the base.
Fill the pie base pastry with the potato and onion mix.
Melt some butter and pour over the top of this filling.
Grate some cheddar cheese on top of the filling
Add the pie lid and press down at the sides to seal the pie.
Prick the top of the pie with a fork.
Brush whisked egg-wash over the pie lid.
Put the pie in the oven for 20 minutes. 160-180 C.
After 20 minutes, check the pie, it should be golden brown on top. Leave it in for longer if it needs it.
When eating, it is so delicious you will want to smash into it immediately. Be careful not to burn your tongue. Take you time, savour it.
Enjoy the best pie you have ever eaten!
