Tart & Pie

Potato & Cheese Hero Pie

Name: Potato & Cheese Hero Pie
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 100g sticky fried onions (2 tbsp olive oil, 2 sliced onions (red or white), pinch of salt, 1tbsp soft brown sugar, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar); 250g leftover cooked spuds; 100g sautéed Brussels sprouts; 200g grated Cheese, use any leftover hard cheeses, rinds removed (I used Gruyere and smoked Knockanore); 75ml cream; 20g Dijon mustard; 50g butter; 1 pack of filo pastry; A hand full of chopped thyme

This recipe is perfect for the beige brigade! It’s the no man’s land of using up the fridge contents to be that #nowaste hero you always knew you were, in the inbetweenie time of Christmas Day and back to school, this pie is glam and Spuds and cheese my friends match perfectly with a bag on trendy glass of Cremont (in no way am I qualified to say this).

Cook: 1 hr 30 mins
Difficulty: Medium
Method: Oven

Slice of potato and cheese pie being lifted, with melting cheese

Ingredients

100g sticky fried onions (2 tbsp olive oil, 2 sliced onions (red or white), pinch of salt, 1tbsp soft brown sugar, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar)
250g leftover cooked spuds
100g sautéed Brussels sprouts
200g grated Cheese, use any leftover hard cheeses, rinds removed (I used Gruyere and smoked Knockanore)
75ml cream
20g Dijon mustard
50g butter
1 pack of filo pastry
A hand full of chopped thyme

Method

For the sticky onions

Heat the oil in a large heavy based frying pan over a low heat.
Add the onions with a generous pinch of salt and cook slowly for 30-40mins. Stir occasionally to prevent them from sticking until they become soft and golden.
Add the sugar and vinegar, keep cooking on a low heat for another 5 mins, stirring occasionally until the mix is sticky, the sugar has dissolved and the vinegar has reduced.

For the Brussels sprouts

Halve the sprouts. Heat olive oil in a large heavy based pan over medium heat. Add sprouts and toss to coat.
Season with salt and pepper. Cook, undisturbed, for about 6-8 minutes, then stir and cook another 6-8 minutes until Brussels sprouts are fork-tender.
Pop the cheese, onions, spuds, mustard, cream and thyme this in a mixing bowl , stir gently not to break up ya spuds too much a love a chunky definition of a spud amongst the cheese.

For the pie

Have your butter melted and your filo ready to go under a dampish tea towel and start brushing every layer with butter layered it on itself.
In a buttered 12 inch cake tin, place one sheet down, then brush with melted butter, and repeat until you have a thick layer the same depth as a 10 cent coin, then place in your baking tin and top up with filling, the beautiful thing with filo is it’s super flexible.
Fold the loose sheets from the bottom over the filling, then repeat the process to create the lid.
Cook in a preheated oven at 180c for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
I like a big slice with a side salad of peppery watercress and a spoon full of winter chutney.

Jess Murphy