Anyone got a good cheese and potato pie recipe?

[blockedSounds]

I've got a hankering for a nice cheese and potato pie. The last few times I've tried making one it's ended up wrong. I put a lot of cheese in, like a full 350g pack of extra mature to about 1.5kg of potatoes but it just ends up not tasting cheesey. It's as if the cheese separates out during cooking and its flavour disappears. The pie ends up too dry. I want it to be moist, cheesey and oniony - please someone help me out with a good recipe.

Thanks

[scaryjim]

Look up "Heaven and Earth" pie - there was a recipe in a Sainsbury's magazine back around the start of the year - it's basically a layered pie of cheese, potatoes and a lovely fruity layer containing apples, pears and - if you can eat them - onions (my wife can't so we have lots of leek in the middle layer instead).

You need to use a cheese that can stand up to the cooking - Swiss Raclette is the preferred option for Heaven and Earth pie.

The real key is good pastry. Fortunately, my wife's a pastry goddess, so I don't have to worry about that bit

Otherwise Heaven and Earth pie is pretty straight forward - you lightly boil your potatoes whole, cool them and slice them; you slice up your raclette; you saute your onions then add cooking apples (Bramleys for preference) and pears and let the whole lot stew until the fruit is just soft, seasoning to taste as you go. Then line a tin with pastry*, layer your ingredients in alternately (the order doesn't really matter) - one layer each of potatoes, fruit and cheese for a medium sized pie, two layers for a really huge filling one. Season with plenty of salt & pepper between each layer. Lay on, seal and glaze the top crust, then bake at 180C for about 50 minutes (if you do a large pie it'll take longer).

Something a little different, and hugely tasty

* the original recipe called for a hand shaped pie, so you lay a round sheet of pastry on a baking tray, layer up the ingredients on top of that, then lay another sheet of pastry over the top and seal it round the edge so you get a big dome-shaped pie. If you do it for a dinner party and want to serve at the table that probably makes a really impressive centre-piece.

[blockedSounds]

Hi scaryjim, thanks for that. It sounds a lot fancier than the simple fare I'm craving but I do love apples and cheese (I'd have to drop the pears though..) so it could be right up my street. I've done a bit of googling and believe I've found a version of the recipe - this one uses Gruyere and Reblochon - http://www.seasonsfruitandveg.co.uk/...rth%20pie.docx - looks to be just as you described.

[scaryjim]

Yeah, that looks pretty much spot on. Like I say, it's a delight if you get it right

If you want something simpler, have you tried grating the potatoes, finely slicing the onions, and frying them together in butter before mixing in cheese and mustard? Mustard really brings out the flavour in cheesy things (it's a must if you're making a cheese sauce). Also make sure you season well; plenty of salt and pepper is important in something with lots of potatoes in, as they're pretty bland and mask even fairly strong flavours.

[blockedSounds]

Thanks again for the advice scaryjim. I haven't tried grating the potatoes before, that sounds like it'll keep everything more moist. I do usually add mustard powder, as you say it adds the needed depth to the flavour. Had to settle for jackets today as I couldn't get the rest of the ingredients in, so I won't be making anything potato-y til later in the week.