Ingredients
- Makes a 9-inch pie that serves six adults
- For the pastry:
- 200g butter
- 400g flour
- Pinch of salt
- 95ml water
- For the filling:
- ½ lb ground lean beef
- ½ lb ground pork
- 1 medium onion, diced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp celery salt
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground sage
- ¼ cup water or more (I also add a little of the fat from the meat after it is cooked)
- 6-8 cooked mashed potatoes, without butter, milk or seasoning (this I add till I get the consistency described in the method)
To make the pastry, place the butter in a fridge then remove when it is cold and hard and dice it. Add it to a food processor with the flour and salt. Pulse for about 20 seconds until the dough is blended and crumb like. Add to a chilled bowl, make a well in center then add two thirds of the water. As the pastry gets closer to the correct consistency, add the rest of the water, working with your fingertips.
Remove from the bowl, add a light dusting of flour to a work surface and knead your dough together. When it has a soft texture like play dough, it’s ready. Wrap in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for at least one hour.
To make the filling, mix the beef and pork, sauté it with the chopped onion till cooked through. Add the rest of the ingredients to the meat after cooking.
When cooked, you want the mixture to be dry. If it’s still a little too wet, just add a little more mashed potatoes. Allow to cool.
Remove the pastry from the fridge, split it in half and roll out one half to cover the baking tray. Add the filling, then top with the other half of thepastry.
Bake at 200 degreees/gas 6 for about 10 minutes then bring the temperature down to 180 degrees/gas 4 and continue cooking until a golden colour and warmed through.
Like every dish, sometimes it’s all about a little trial and error, but trust me, this dish is worth the effort and before long you’ll be making it without the need for a recipe.
Serve with a big dollop of tomato ketchup.
