Potato, leek and blue cheese pie
This rich and luscious pie has an excellent balance of
contrasting textures: crispy filo pastry and soft potato, crunchy
walnuts and melting cheese, all balanced by the solider texture of the
leeks.
Use those hard to boil, high dry matter potatoes and any crumbly blue
cheese. This pie is a good way to use the end of a Stilton or other blue
cheese that has become a little too dry. Because the cheese is likely to
be salty, only add a little salt to the other ingredients. Remember to
defrost the filo pastry for at least an hour before trying to unfold it.
Serves 4 very hungry people Time taken 1½ hours
700 g potatoes
6 medium leeks
5 tablespoons butter
6 sheets filo pastry
150g blue cheese
2 handfuls walnuts, toasted
salt and pepper
60 ml whole milk
Peel and slice the potatoes. Melt two tablespoons of the
butter in a large frying pan, add the potato slices and fry gently,
turning often, until they are soft. Meanwhile wash, trim and slice the
leeks; use not just the white part but also the tender bases and inner
parts of the green. This gives extra eye appeal to the dish and a more
robust leek flavour. When the potatoes are cooked put them into a dish
and keep warm; melt another tablespoon of butter in the frying pan and
cook the leeks until just tender, adding about a quarter teaspoon of
salt and plenty of ground black pepper; Do not let them brown.
Toast the walnuts in a small dry frying pan or on a baking tray in the
oven being careful not to let them burn.
In a small saucepan melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter. Using
a pastry brush or small, clean paintbrush thinly paint the bottom of a
22cm diameter oven proof dish with some of the melted butter. Lay a
sheet of filo over the bottom allowing it to overlap the edges. Paint
the filo sheet inside the dish with melted butter and lay on another
sheet and paint it too. Repeat with the remaining four sheets laying
them at an angle to the preceding ones so that the overlaps form a
complete circle round the dish.
In the bottom of the filo covered dish spread out half the potato
slices, followed by half the leek. Crumble and chop the cheese and put
half on top of the leek followed by half the walnuts. Cover with the
rest of the potatoes, leeks, cheese and walnuts. Pour over the milk.
Then start folding up the overhanging sheets of filo, brushing with the
remaining melted butter where they will lie on top of each other. This
brushing with melted butter keeps the sheets separate so that they form
a deeper layer of crispy pastry. Brush the top all over with the last of
the butter.
Put the pie into a hot 220°C, Gas 7 oven
and bake for 25 minutes until the top is well browned and crisp. Take
out and let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.
This pie is a meal in itself so just serve with it a plain green salad
of winter endives and chicories.