Steak and Potato Pie

Today I was feeling a little bit home food sick.  We all know that British food is not known for it culinary delights. Many people feel that it is stodgy and heavy. I like to think of British food as good wholesome comfort food. Fish n Chips, Roast Beef and Fish pie are but a few. If spruced up in a posh restaurant would critics think of it negatively. I think not. Today's post is a homage to British food and my memories of it.

Steak & Potato Pie

For the pastry.

300g Flour

75g Butter

75g Shortening/Lard

4-5 Tbsp Water

Salt and Pepper

Egg Yolk and milk to glaze

For the filling.

500kg Stewing Steak

4 Rashers of Bacon sliced

1/2 Large Onion diced

1 Medium russett potato diced

1 1/2 Cups Beef Stock

Splash Worcestershire Sauce

Large pinch mixed herbs (rosemary,thyme, tarragon etc)

2 bay leaves

Salt and Pepper

Flour to coat the meat

Pastry:

Cut the butter and shortening/ lard into the flour until you get a breadcrumb consistency. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and slowly add tbsps of water one at a time until the mixture can be mixed into a ball of dough Try not to overwork the dough. Wrap in cling-film and store in the fridge for 20 minutes. Cut the dough in half and roll one half out, then line the pie dish. Cover in cling-film and place back in the fridge. The second half can go back in the fridge until the pie filling is made.

For the filling:

Using a paper towel blot of any excess water that is present on the meat. In a large bowl add enough seasoned flour to coat the meat. Pour the meat into the bowl of seasoned flour and coat well. Meanwhile in a medium pan melt a good knob of butter and oil and add the sliced bacon rashers. Cook down until fat renders. In batches fry the stewing steak until brown on all sides. Its doesn't need to be cooked through. Remove the steak from the pan and add the potatoes, onions and dried herbs to the pan. Stir well to combine. Cook for approx 5 minutes. Pour in the stock and scrape of any brown bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. It should simmer. Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and the bay leaves. Stir the meat back into the pan, cover and simmer on a low heat for approx 40 minutes. After making the filling remove the bay leaves. If the sauce gets too thick add some more water. Allow the filling to completely cool before pouring into the pastry lined pie dish. Roll the remaining pastry out and cover the pie. Pinch the pastry sides together, brush the egg wash over top of the pastry and poke a hole in the top of the pie to allow the steam to escape. In a preheated oven at 400 degrees bake the pie on the middle shelve for approx 30 minutes or until the pastry has turned golden brown.

Before...

and after....

Patatas Bravas

Wow, isn't it amazing what you can create with nothing. I open my fridge and to me I see lots of potential but to others it would look bare and the ingredients wouldn't match up to much. From a few basic ingredients I managed to make a gourmet feast with a Spanish tapas theme.

I was very impressed if I do say so myself. I was particularly impressed with my patatas bravas. Originally I was going to buy some Italian sausages but the supermarket had run out so I opted for honey mustard sausages, which actually worked quite well, but to get the authentic flavor, Italian or chorizo sausage would have been better. But hey ho you can't win em' all!!!

I originally had patatas bravas in Barcelona. I went to my first tapas restaurant and I fell in love with this dish and style of eating. On return from Barcelona a friend and I couldn't get  enough of  tapas, we found an awesome restaurant in Putney, London called La Mancha, which we often frequented and patatas bravas was a regular. 

My version of Patatas bravas

Handful of new potatoes cooked and sliced thickly

2 Sausages

1 Large Tomato chopped

I Tbsp Tomato Paste

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

Pinch Salt

Pinch sugar

Pinch Red Chilli Flakes

1 tsp White wine vinegar

Chicken Stock

Oil

Garlic clove crushed

Firstly heat some oil in a pan and cook the sausages until they have browned. Remove from the pan and slice into1/4 inch pieces. In the same pan fry the sliced potatoes until browned and remove from pan. Add some more oil to pan if need and add tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, spices and salt. Mix these together in the pan to combine. When the tomatoes begin to soften, crush them with the back of a spoon into the sauce. If the sauce is to thick add some chicken stock to loosen it up. Return the potatoes and sausages to the pan and warm through. Add further salt if needed. Then serve....

Fish Cakes

I have been toying with making fish cakes for a while and yesterday I was forced into it. Originally I had bought some fresh salmon fillets but in my neurotic organisation I had put all the fillets in the freezer, so I turned towards some tinned salmon, which worked pretty well and to top it off, it reduced the cooking time (Excellent). To serve alongside the fish cakes I decided to make my infamous potato salad, a mixture of beetroot, celeriac and  roasted potatoes mixed in a mustard sauce. It is much lighter than regular potato salad which I find can be a little claggy. A spring salad with roasted cherry tomatoes was also served. It was a perfect meal for two people who recently have been overindulged with junk food.

Fish Cakes

2 Small tins of Salmon

3 Cups Cold Mashed Potato (2 large russet pots)

1 Egg beaten

Lemon Rind
Juice of half a lemon

Handful of Cilantro finely choppped (You can use parsley or dill)

Bread crumbs

1/4 tsp Paprika

S&P

The most important advice I can give you is to use cold mashed potato, if it is warm the patties will be too soft and will break up. The second important piece of advice is if you are using tinned salmon make sure you drain it well and remove the spinal bones (unless you like the crunch!!). Now that that has been said it is now time for the fun to begin.... Mix the egg, lemon juice, rind, paprika, salt and pepper into the potato until combined. Now flake the fish in over top with the chopped cilantro. Using a spatula fold the fish into the mash potato. I like to do this instead of mixing it in as I like chunky pieces of fish throughout the patty. Form into patties and place in the fridge to firm up if needed. When ready roll the fish cakes in the breadcrumbs and shallow fry in oil over a medium heat to warm the patty through and brown the breadcrumbs. Flip to brown the other side and serve. Voila a quick easy supper.

The most common problem with making fishcakes is that the patties can get very soft if using hot mashed potato hence the important advise above.