Potato, Cheese and Onion Pie

close up shot of cheese potato onion pie in dish with slice taken out

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5 from 1 vote

This Potato, Cheese and Onion Pie is hearty, loaded with flavour and beyond simple to make!

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: English

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Large Baking Tray & Baking/Parchment Paper
Large Pan, Wooden Spoon & Whisk
22cm/8.6" Pie Dish
Brush
Jug (for milk)
Cheese Grater

Ingredients

400g / 14oz Baking Potatoes, sliced into 1/2cm/0.2" rounds
3 tbsp / 45g Butter, plus extra for greasing the pie dish
1 large White Onion, grated
2 large Spring Onions, finely diced
3 tbsp Plain Flour
240ml / 1 cup Whole Milk, preferably at room temp
100g / 1 cup freshly grated Mature Cheddar Cheese
100g / 1 cup freshly grated Red Leicester Cheese (see notes)
2 tsp English Mustard
1x 320g/11.2oz sheet of Shortcrust Pastry
1 medium Egg, beaten
1x 320g/11.2oz sheet of Puff Pastry
Oil Spray, as needed
Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Lightly spray a large baking tray with oil and spread out the sliced potatoes (use two trays if you need to). Spray the potatoes with oil, then sprinkle over a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until soft and just starting to turn golden. The potatoes may stick a little, so use a spatula to scrape them off if you need to. Keep the oven on at the same temperature.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and spring onions and fry for 1 minute. Stir in the flour to create a roux, then gradually pour in the milk, stirring as you go to prevent lumps from forming. Add the cheeses and swiftly stir until they melt. Stir in the mustard, then season with a pinch of salt and pepper. The sauce will be very thick at this point – more spreadable than it is pourable. Remove the pan from the heat.
Rub the base and sides of a 22cm pie dish all over with a knob of butter. Line the dish with the sheet of shortcrust pastry. Trim any excess pastry around the top.
Spread a layer of the cheese sauce over the base of the pie, then top with a layer of potatoes, overlapping if needed. From there, you’ll do three more layers of cheese sauce and two more potato layers, finishing with a layer of cheese sauce. Brush the rim of the pastry with the egg.
Lay over the sheet of puff pastry and trim the excess. Use a fork to crimp around the edges, then trim with a knife. Brush the top with more egg wash, then slice a few small steam holes in the top.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until deep golden and crisp on top. Allow the pie to rest for 15 minutes before slicing (important or the cheese will all spill out).

Video

Notes

a) Pastry - I prefer the lighter, flakier option of puff pastry on top, although you could use more shortcrust if you’d prefer. In all cases I recommend keeping the pastry in the fridge until needed, just so it’s easier to work with. Cold pastry also flakes up better.

b) Cheese - using half Red Leicester gives the sauce a gorgeous orange colour and a slightly different flavour dynamic. You can sub with more Cheddar, though, if you’d prefer.

c) Onion - grating the onion is key and is what gives this pie its iconic flavour. The longer you fry it, the weaker the onion flavour becomes, so just a minute will do the trick.

d) Baking tray - unless your tray is good quality/non-stick, the potatoes might stick a little. If you’re at all wary, then consider using baking paper to line the tray.

e) Cookbook - this recipe is featured in my debut cookbook ‘Comfy’.

f) Calories - this is an overestimate as not all the pastry is used, which is where most of the extra calories come from!

Nutrition