If you’ve never had homity pie, you’re in for a real treat. Falling somewhere between a quiche and a shepherd’s pie, it’s incredibly British and insanely delicious. If you know of anything tastier and more comforting than the best mashed potatoes ever stuffed into a flaky pie crust, please let me know about it ASAP. In the meantime, you should probably make this.
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that February is the worst month of the year for most northeasterners. It has unpredictable weather, there’s nothing festive about it, the snow is old and brown and the stretch between now and spring is indeterminable. I like to imagine that if I lived in the UK I’d be spending much of my time in February thawing next to a roaring fire, drinking scotch and eating mostly carbohydrates, with the potato being the closest thing to a vegetable I’d consume. This unfortunately in no way resembles my actual life, and I don’t even really like scotch, but can’t a girl dream?
What I am actually doing in February is alternating between not leaving the house at all and convincing myself it is much warmer than it actually is, and then venturing out in far too few layers. I’m either wearing three layers of clothes indoors or waking up gasping in a full sweat. As far as I can tell, what characterizes February for me is that I’m literally never the right temperature in it.
The only thing you can do in frustrating times like these is at least give yourself the permission to eat delicious stuff that’s probably not very healthy. At the same time, though, I feel like there are worse things than eating a potato and cheese pie? Maybe hold the ice cream for dessert. Or may not- it’s February, after all.
Note: I made a 9-inch pie in a shallow Staub baking dish, but if you have a 10-inch tart pan that should work too.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks/225g) cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 egg yolk, beaten with 2 tablespoons cold water
- 2 large white potatoes, unpeeled
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons (30g) butter
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium leek, washed well and chopped
- Leaves from 6 to 8 sprigs parsley, chopped
- Leaves from 2 large sprigs thyme
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 8 oz. (225g) grated cheddar cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- First make the pastry. Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl, then rub in the butter with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the beaten egg yolk and toss the dough with a fork. Add enough cold water, from 1 to 3 tablespoons, to let the dough be gathered into a ball.
- Cut the dough into two equal pieces and, on a board lightly dusted with flour, pat each half into a dish 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13cm) in diameter. Wrap each piece of dough separately in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours before using. You'll only need one of the dough balls for this recipe- you can freeze the other for future use.
- Roll out the pastry to a round about 1 1/2 inches (4cm) larger than a 9- to 10-inch (23- to 25-cm) pie or tart tin or shallow baking dish, then gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the tin. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it.
- Put the potatoes in a medium pot and add 2 quarts (1.9L) cold water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft when pierced with the tines of a fork. Drain them, pat them dry with a clean dish towel and set them aside to cool to room temperature. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them and cut them into cubes roughly 1 inch (2.5cm) square, then coarsely crush them with the tines of a fork.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and leek and cook, stirring frequently, until they're translucent and just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, parsley, thyme, eggs and half the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients together thoroughly, then remove the skillet from the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator and fill it with the vegetable mixture, lightly tamping it down with the back of a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the pie evenly with the remaining cheese and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
Notes
From The British Table
