Recipe of the month.
Cheese and Potato Pie
A traditional British dish that has a place at the modern table. The Irish variant is called Champ. Delicious, comforting, warming: ideal for a cold, damp day. Let’s get into the recipe, as I hate scrolling for it – I will add the extra information at the end.
Ingredients
1kg / 2lb Potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks. King Edward, Maris Piper, Desiree, Golden Wonder, Rooster work best.
25g / 1oz butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
250ml / 9fl oz milk
1 teaspoon English mustard powder or English mustard
250g / 9oz mature Cheddar, grated
5–6 spring onions, finely sliced
1 large free-range egg, beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Equipment.
- Largish pan
- Spud masher
- Deep baking dish
Preparation
Peel the potatoes, chop them into roughly equal sizes
Beat the egg in a cup
Cooking
Boil the potatoes. Place them in a large pan, add salt to taste if desired, cover partly with water and place the lid. Cook for 15 or so minutes until tender. Once cooked, drain the potatoes well, and leave to dry: either leave in colander or sieve, or place back in a warm pan on low heat for a few minutes.
Heat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Grease the baking dish with butter.
Mash the potatoes thoroughly. Add the milk, butter and mustard and stir well.
Add tho thirds of the cheese, the egg mix, the chopped Spring Onions and mix again. Season to taste.
Spoon into baking dish: Smooth the top, add a pattern or leave rustic peaks according to desired effect. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over.
Bake for 40 – 50 minutes until golden brown.
Serving suggestion
This dish can be a stand-alone as a main, served with some additional vegetables like carrots and greens, or a good dollop of baked beans for extra comfort.
It can also be a great side dish for a roast or some sausages, served with seasonal vegetables, or alongside a quiche with some salad.
Variations
You can modify this dish, and you do not really need to include the egg. I have also used cream cheese instead of milk for extra richness. Add cabbage, Kale or Chard to make it Colcannon.
It can also be a deconstructed fish pie – just use your imagination.
I often use Sunday Lunch leftovers, having purposefully over-catered the mash. Addition of carrots and sprouts essentially renders it a bubble and squeak pie – leave out the cheese, and serve with sausages, peas and gravy.
Making the best of seasonal, old knowledge of thrift
Allotment holders and Small holders will know, maybe more in February and March, what it’s like to have potatoes rapidly declining in quality, onions doing the same and both deciding it’s time to grow. As the hungry gap loomed, innovative ways of using the remaining veg were essential. Adding milk and cheese converts these basic vegetables into a tasty meal while adding valuable protein to the dish.
In more modern times, it is useful for using the Christmas remains – not just the veg, but the bizarre range of bits of leftover cheese gradually drying out in the back of the fridge.