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Recipe Request: Potato, Cheese and Chive Pie

This pie is a delightful combination of creamy potatoes, chives, cheese and short crispy pastry. Be sure he pie tin you use is a deep one, otherwise the filling might seep outst perfec. It is the mot vegetarian dish, or seve it to accompany a light meat dish. The difficult thing about this recipe is waiting the quarter of an hour before “decanting” and cutting – with its golden crust it looks so inviting. (serves 6)

Pastry

9oz/275g plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

5oz/150g butter, cubed

1 egg

1 – 1 1/2 tbs olive oil

an extra egg yolk

Filling

2lb/1kg potatoes, peeled

6oz/175g Lancashire or Cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 oz chives, chopped

salt & pepper

2 large eggs

1/2 pint/300ml sour cream

For the pastry, sieve the flour and salt into a food processor, then add the butter and process until it resembles breadcrumbs. Then add the egg, mixed with 1 tbs oil. Process until the dough will come together easily in your hands. You may need to add the extrea 1/2 tbs oil. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 mins.

Roll out the dough, on a floured board, to fit a deep 24cm loose-bottom pie in (be sure the pastry comes right up the sides). prick the pastry base with a fork. Chill the pastry case in the fridge for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 200oC. Before baking, brush the inside of the pastry case with egg yolk. (This seals the pastry and prevents it becoming soggy.) Bake for 5 mins.

meanwhile, slice the potatoes as thinly as possible (in the food processor if you have one). Cook for 4 mins in boiling water, then immediately drain and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking. Dry the slices extremely well.

The seasoing as you layer, place half the dried potatoes on to the pastry, followed by half of the cheese and then half the chives. Repeat this with the remaining potatoes, cheese and chives. Mix together the eggs and sour cream and pour the mixture slowly over the top of the pie, ensuring that all the edges are covered in teh liquid. Bake for about 45 mins, until the pastry is goldena nd teh top is crusty and browned.

Remove and wait for about 15 mins before carefully turning out of the tin. Serve warm, in good size wedges.

NOTE: THIS DOES NOT FREEZE WELL.

Recipe taken from “Feasting on Herbs” by Sue Lawrence

USEFUL LINKS

BBC Good Food recipes – http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes

Cairngorms Food and Drink Trail – http://visitcairngorms.com/foodtrails

Taste our Best – http://www.visitscotland.com/about/food-drink/taste-our-best

Scotland Food and Drink network – http://www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org/

Taste of Scotland – http://www.taste-of-scotland.com/