Potato Pie

I was in my local shop the other day, picking up my prime rib for my New Years dinner and I saw something that sounded quite, quite fascinating. Christmas Pudding Sausages.

I don't know why I hadn't noticed them before Christmas, but I hadn't . . .



I brought home half a dozen of them, and then I thought . . . what the heck am I going to do with them???? What on earth would they go with???? I couldn't imagine them in a casserole, or anything interesting like that. I was just too afraid that the flavours of Christmas Pudding would jar with anything . . . well anything but custard sauce . . .



And I just couldn't imagine serving custard sauce with sausages.

What to do . . . what to do . . . what to do . . .

I ended up just pan grilling them, and then I baked a potato pie to go along with them.




Ahh . . . potato pie. My meat and potatoes loving husband's most favourite dish of all time. You've got mashed potatoes, butter and cheese . . . beautiful rich, strong cheddar cheese . . . all wonderfully melded together and crisped up in a hot oven.

(Something had to make up for the fact that these grilled sausages wouldn't have any onion gravy to go with them . . . cheese and potatoes . . . it just had to work.)



I don't know what I was worried about. The sausages didn't really taste that much like Christmas Pudding really. Oh . . . there was a faint hint of spice . . . a slight hint of fruit . . .
but really . . . they were not all that I had thought they would be . . .



I had to break out the brown sauce. My potato pie saved the day.

Make it. It's delicious . . . and easy!



*Potato Pie*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Buttery and nicely browned on top, meltingly cheese inside, and cruncy buttered crumbs on the bottom. Deliciously simple.

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1/4 pint milk (1/2 cup)
1 ounce butter
4 ounces strong cheddar cheese, grated
salt and white pepper to taste
2 to 3 ounces white breadcrumbs, lightly crisped
a bit of melted butter

Put the potatoes into some slightly salted water and bring to the boil. Boil until soft and then drain well.

Pre-heat the oven to 205*C/425*F. LIghtly butter a 1 1/2 to 2 pint pie dish. Add the breadcrumbs and coat the bottom and sides with them, pressing to make them stick well.

Shake the pan of potatoes over the burner to dry them out and then remove from the heat entirely. Add the milk and butter and mash completely until smooth. Stir in the cheese and seasonings. Spoon this mixture into the prepared pie dish. Rough up the top with the tines of a fork and then brush with some melted butter.

Bake in the heated oven for 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

Spoon out to serve. It is said pickled beetroot and crusty brown bread go very well with this.

I can vouch for that. They are mighty tasty together.