I have a new pie maker

So.... I bought myself a depp fill pie maker.  I love pies and rather than cooking big ones with all the temptation that entails, with not eating the whole thing in one sitting, I thought making individual pies would end up being better - portion control you know.

I decided to start with a simple classic British pie.  After looking at some other recipes I estimated the amounts that would be required to make 4 separate pies.

Individual Cheese & potato pies

Makes 4 pies

Equipment: Deep fill pie maker

Tips:  Put pastry into pie maker when the pie maker is cold.  You will need to cook the pies for a couple of minutes longer, but that is better than burning your fingers by putting pastry in when it is hot.

1 lb shortcrust pastry

1 1/1 lb potatoes

1 red onion

1 oz butter

5 oz mature cheddar cheese

2 tsp fresh chives - chopped

2 tsp English mustard powder

Salt & pepper

1 egg – beaten

Directions:

Peel the potatoes and put them on to boil.   Peel and slice the onions and fry them in a little olive oil until translucent.   

Remove onions from heat, cover to keep warm and put to one side.  Once the potatoes are boiled drain the water out of the pan.  Using a fork gently crush the potatoes – you want the potatoes to be half mash half lumps – and add the butter and mix. Mix the cheese, onion, milk, mustard powder, chives and potatoes together adding a dash of salt & pepper to taste.

Roll out the pastry and cut the tops and bottoms for the pies.  Line the pie maker with the bottoms and fill with mixture.  Put on the lids, brush with beaten egg, close the machine and cook for approximately 12 minutes.

You definitely need to make sure filling forms a dome to ensure the lid is cooked.  As you can see from the picture the 2nd batch I put more filling in the the top cooked quite well.