 |
| Sausage, leek and potato puff pastry pie |
This dish was inspired by leftovers, as so many wonderful dishes often are. The leftovers component was the mini sausages which are Wee Willie Winkies (mini, skinless cocktail sausages) and which I had used in the preparation of an even more obscure experiment, Scrambled Quail Eggs with Sausages. I thoroughly enjoyed both meals but what pleasantly surprised me the most about this one was the wonderful smell that filled the house as the pie was cooking. You could serve this pie with another vegetable such as perhaps broccoli but for me on this occasion, everything I desired was already in the pie.
 |
| New potatoes ready for boiling |
Ingredients (Serves Two)
6 or 7 baby new potatoes
Salt
8 slices (1/4"thick) from fresh leek
12 mini cocktail sausages
1/4 pint chicken stock (approximately)
1/2 pound puff pastry
Flour for dusting/rolling pastry
Beaten egg for glazing pastry
 |
| Boiled new potatoes need to be drained and cooled |
Directions
The potatoes do need to be cooked by boiling before they are incorporated in the pie, otherwise they will be extremely hard and even inedible. Add them to a pot of cold, salted water and bring to a simmer for about twenty minutes. Drain and leave to cool.
 |
| Leek is sliced in to discs |
When the potatoes are cool enough, you should find that the skins will virtually rub off by hand. The potatoes should then be halved.
 |
| Prepared potatoes and leek for pie |
Combine the potato halves, leeks slices and mini sausages in the bottom of a suitable pie dish. This one is 10" by 7" and was the perfect size. Pour in enough cold chicken stock to form a depth of around half an inch.
 |
| Sausage, potato and leek pie filling is ready for pastry |
Roll out the pastry on a floured board or surface until it is just large enough to comfortably cover the pie dish.
 |
| Rolled pastry is laid over pie filling |
Crimp the pastry around the edges and trim with a very sharp knife.
 |
| Puff pastry is crimped and trimmed |
Glaze the pie with beaten egg and cut a couple of steam vents in the centre. Lift the dish on to a baking tray and put it in your oven (preheated to 400F/200C) for about forty minutes or until the pastry is risen and golden.
 |
| Sausage, leek and potato pie is glazed and ready for the oven |
Take the pie from the oven and allow it to rest for about ten minutes. If you are serving an accompaniment such as broccoli, you could use this resting time to prepare it.
 |
| Sausage, leek and potato pie removed from the oven |
Cut the pastry in half as shown below and lift one half temporarily over the other.
 |
| Cutting in to sausage, leek and potato pie to serve |
Use a slotted spoon to plate half the filling and lay the pastry on top to serve. Do the same with the second pie of the half.
 |
| Plating up sausage, leek and potato pie filling |
