Chicken And Leek Pie With Potato Scone Crust

Leftovers needing jazzed up a bit?

 This is the recipe for you, using leftover roast chook and the insides of some baked potatoes, discard the skin, or some leftover mashed potato.

I have used homemade chicken stock from some roast chicken flavoured with lots of garlic and fresh herbs so the stock has heaps of flavour, if you are using powder or a cube, maybe add a little fresh parsley and garlic to the leeks when they are cooking for a bit more flavour.

The potato scones go beautifully crispy on top and mushy and chickeny on the bottom, yum!

Serves 8.

Ingredients

110g butter

2 large leeks, halved lengthwise, cut into 1cm pieces and washed thourghly

100g gluten free plain flour

1.2l chicken stock

800g cooked chicken or ham

TOPPING

500g cooked potato, mashed

100g butter

50g gluten free plain flour

1/2 teaspoon gluten free baking powder

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade.

In a large, shallow oven proof pan, heat the butter over a medium heat.

Add the leeks and cook for 10 minutes until vibrant green and soft.

Add the flour to the pan and stir continuously for one minute.

Pour the stock into the pan and stir until it thickens at boiling point.

Stir the diced cooked chicken through and set aside.

Now make the scones.

In a large bowl, weigh out the potato, finely diced butter, flour and baking powder, using your hands, gently work the mixture until a dough begins to form.

Flour your work surface with gluten free plain flour and using your hands, gently squash down the dough until 5mm thick.

Take a floured cookie cutter and cut discs, once there is no more space, reform the dough, squash down and re cut until you have enough discs.

Place the scones onto the pie filling and pop into the oven.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Shepherd’s Pie

This is where leftovers get elevated to another delicious dinner.

I have used the leftovers from the Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Garlic.

Once we had the roast lamb I stripped the meat and froze it, boiled water in the roasting pan to get all the gooey brown juice off the base and added this to the bones in a pressure cooker, cooked it under pressure for 30 mins, drained the stock and froze it to use with the lamb for this pie.

However, this tastes just as good using stock powder so feel free to save time and get the stock cubes out!

If you have any left over cooked vegetables these can go in to the pie too.

Today I topped the pie with sliced potatoes but to save time you can use left over mashed potatoes, the mash will soak up a little of the juice and will taste delicious.

If you choose to top with the sliced potatoes, you can peel them if you want to be fancy but I don’t, there’s never enough time!

Ingredients

50mls olive oil

2 onions, finely diced

3 carrots, finely diced

400-600g leftover roast lamb

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

600mls stock

80mls Worcestershire sauce, gluten free

80mls tomato ketchup

4 medium potatoes, finely sliced

100mls cream

salt and pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the onions and carrot and slow cook until the onion is translucent.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the meat and cook over medium heat until the meat is beginning to get crispy bits all over as you stir it regularly.

Add the stock, Worcestershire sauce,tomato ketchup, salt and pepper,  mix well and leave to bubble until the sauce has reduced to a minimal amount.

Pour the meat mix into a casserole, set aside.

Bring a large pan of salted water and bring to the boil.

Add the potatoes, bring back up to the boil.

Boil for 3 mins, drain and refresh with cold water.

Layer the potatoes over the pie mix until they are all used.

Pour over the cream and season well.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade.

Bake the pie for 45-50 mins until bubbling and golden brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canadian Log Pie

I was given this recipe when I left home, simple and satisfying during the colder weather and gluten free too!

If you have a mandolin this is the perfect excuse to use it, just watch your fingers and use the guard if you have one.

I can’t pretend it’s healthy but maybe serve it with lots of greens to counteract the bacon and cheese.

Consider only seasoning with pepper depending on how salty your bacon is.

Serves 5.

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes, peeled and finely sliced

1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced

500g bacon rashers, chopped up

250g Cheddar cheese, sliced or grated

salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180degrees Centigrade, lightly grease a deep oven proof dish.

Finely slice the potatoes and set aside.

Finely slice the onions, set aside.

Chop the bacon and set aside.

Place a quarter of the bacon into the prepared dish.

Top with onions followed by potatoes.

Sprinkle or place a quarter of the  grated or sliced cheese over the top, season with pepper.

Repeat a further three times with the final layer being cheese.

Cover and bake for 1 1/2-2hours until the potatoes are cooked.

Bacon and Egg Pie

This recipe manages to sneak some spinach into fussy kids with the flavours of bacon and cheese disguising a vegetable.

I make two pies at a time and freeze one, great for lunch boxes and picnics. Using a cake tin allows for more depth so I use a 20cm fixed base tin.

The pies in the picture have been made with home made pastry, only because I didn’t have any frozen at home! Frozen butter puff pastry works well and usually I have some in the freezer, frozen spinach is very handy too.

Over time I have changed the layering depending on what the boys aren’t eating at the time so feel free to mix it up, bacon on top, cheese through the spinach mix, whatever works for your family!

Serves 6

Ingredients

500g block of puff pastry, defrosted

150g bacon, diced

125mls sour cream

125mls milk

7 eggs

1 egg beaten

150g frozen spinach, defrosted and all water squeezed out

Freshly grated nutmeg

salt and pepper

50g finely grated Parmesan

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.

Heat a pan over a medium heat and cook the bacon, set aside.

In a jug, combine the sour cream, milk, spinach, 3 eggs, grated nutmeg to taste and salt and pepper.

On a floured surface, cut 2/3 of the pastry off and roll out until it fits the tin including the sides, leave any overhang.

Spread the bacon on the pie base, pour over the spinach mixture.

Gently crack the four remaining eggs on top, try to keep them a little separate.

Sprinkle the cheese on top.

Roll out the remaining pastry, until slightly larger than lid required.

Brush the beaten egg around the edges of the pie base, top with the lid.

With a fork, gently press all around the pie to seal.

Take a sharp knife and gently remove any excess pastry, giving you a smooth edge against the tin.

Make two slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Brush the lid with beaten egg.

Place on a baking tray, just in case it leaks.

Bake for 40 mins until golden.

Allow to sit for 20mins before cutting.