Leicestershire Stilton, caramelised onion and potato pie

This is my much praised pie (loved by Mr Hollywood) from my time on The Great British Bake Off. This is an ‘assembly pie’ as the work is in the pastry and the prepping. It’s very good; you can feel the fatty goodness as you eat it. Don’t let that put you off. Just enjoy it and eat salad tomorrow. Credit/debit. Metal dishes are always best for pies as they heat very quickly, meaning a crisper pastry. No soggy tops (or bottoms).

INGREDIENTS

30g butter

280g onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon salt, plus extra for cooking

2 tablespoons caster sugar

930g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

140g creme fraiche

4 tablespoons double cream

100g mature cheddar, grated

100g stilton, crumbled

100g gruyere, grated

ground black pepper

1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

500g puff pastry, chilled

plain flour, for dusting

1 large egg, beaten

METHOD

Melt the butter in a pan and add the onions, salt and sugar. Fry over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5–6 minutes until lightly caramelised. Remove from the heat and set aside. Cook the sliced potatoes in a large pan of boiling, salted water for 8 minutes, drain well then set aside.

Mix the crème fraîche, cream and cheddar in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the Stilton and Gruyère. Working in layers and from the outside of the dish inwards (to achieve a domed effect), add one quarter of the potatoes, a third of the onions and a third of the Stilton mixture. My pie dish is 18 cm wide on the bottom and 24 cm across the top. Sprinkle over a little pepper and the nutmeg. Repeat the layers, seasoning as you go, then pour over half the crème fraîche mixture. Repeat the layers, top with the remaining crème fraîche and cover with the rest of the potato, so the filling is not visible (preventing soggy pastry).

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Roll the pastry out on a well-floured work surface until it’s about 5 mm thick and square in shape. It needs to be about 6 cm wider than the edges of the pie dish. Cut off two 1.5 cm-wide strips from the sides of the pastry. Brush the egg over the rim of the tin and fix the strips onto it so that the rim is covered. Egg wash the strips.

Check that the pastry square is at least 2.5 cm larger than the tin all the way round by holding the tin above the pastry and checking by eye. If large enough, put your hands under the pastry, palm side up and fingers spread wide and lift gently into the tin. Try not to stretch the pastry. Press the square gently onto the pastry rim. Trim the pastry to about 5 mm larger than the edge of the pie tin using scissors. Dip your fork into the flour and use it to seal and indent around the rim of the tin. Keep re-flouring your fork to stop any dragging.

Take a blunt knife and ‘knock up’ the edges by fluffing up the pastry of the rim and the lid until stuck together. This ensures that they won’t come apart during baking and there is a nice thick-layered appearance. Egg wash the lid really well and cut a cross in the top for steam to escape, creating a crisp and flaky lid. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes, then turn the heat down to 180°C. Bake for 1 hour. Serve with lots of green veg.

IDEAS FOR NUTMEG

Add a little grated nutmeg to myriad dishes to really bring out the flavour – biscuits, béchamel sauce, pancakes, parsnip soup, apple pie, scones, fruitcake, carrot cake, braised vegetables (especially leeks)… the list goes on! My best advice would be to keep fresh nutmeg and a tiny grater out with the salt and pepper. It really is that useful.

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