Corned Beef and Potato Pie

Introduction & method

Corned beef and potato pie is a cheap and comforting meal. I think it's more common in the North and North-East of England, and I'm pretty sure I've never seen it on sale in a bakery, supermarket or café. So you'll have to make your own and you'll be glad you did.

Make Hot Water Pastry

Mix the salt with the flour in a large bowl. Cut the fat into small chunks - it will melt more quickly. Put the water and the fat in a small saucepan and heat them until the fat is all melted. Stir half of this mixture into the flour, then add the rest and mix well. Wrap the dough in plastic film and leave it to cool completely.

Prep the Veg

Peel and thinly slice the potatoes - a mandoline or food processor is ideal for this. Put the potatoes into a small saucepan, cover with water, add a pinch of salt and cook them until tender - this will take 5-10 minutes. Peel and thinly slice the onion, then cut the slices into smaller pieces. Melt a small knob of butter and the same amount of sunflower oil in a frying pan or skillet. Gently cook the onions for about 5 minutes until they are soft but not browned.

Drain the potatoes and set aside to cool completely. Remove the onions from their pan and let them cool.

Make the Filling

You need to use the soft corned beef that comes in a tapering can. Remove it from the can and cut it into small dice. Add the potatoes and onion and mash everything together. How much you mash it is up to you - I like to still be able to see separate bits of potato, onion and corned beef.

Find a Pie Tin

What you make and bake the pie in is up to you. You could use an enamelled steel plate or pie dish, but I'm using a cake tin with a removable bottom. It's 18cm (7 inches) diameter and 4cm (1½ inches) tall. I've chosen this because I think it gives a better shape to the pie with nice straight sides.

Assemble the Pie

Sprinkle flour on your worktop. Take one third of the pastry and roll it into a disc that's a little bigger than your pie dish. Turn the pie tin upside down, place it on the pastry and cut around the edge. This will be the lid of the pie. Set it aside, roll out the rest of the dough 5-6cm (a couple of inches) larger than the tin all round. Butter the inside of the tin and sprinkle the side of the pastry that will be in contact with the tin with polenta or coarse semolina - or just flour if you don't have those. Flip the pastry into the tin and press it down into the bottom and edge. Smooth the side of the pastry so that you don't get any folds or creases. Trim the excess pastry from the top, leaving a 5mm (quarter of an inch) rim.

Spoon the filling into the pie case and smooth off the top. Moisten the edge of the pastry case with water, place the lid on top and squeeze the top and bottom together. Raise up the edge and do whatever crimping you can manage.

Make an eggwash of 1 egg yolk, a splash of cold water and a teeny bit of salt. Mix them together and paint a thin layer of glaze over the top of the pie and the crimping.

Bake the Pie

Heat your oven to 190°C (374°F) for a fan/convection oven, 210°C (410°F) conventional, gas 7. Put the pie in and bake for 35-40, turning it round halfway through to get even browning. When it's baked, remove it from the oven and let it stand for about 5 minutes befoe removing the tin. You can eat this pie hot or cold - it's delicious either way.