Winter warming fish pie

Mashed potato topping

• 1kg Desiree potatoes, peeled and diced 100gm Butter, diced
• 100ml Warmed milk
• 3 Egg yolks   
• 100gm Cheddar cheese, grated                                                                                     

Pie

• 1 x Onion, peeled and finely diced 1 x Carrot, peeled and finely diced 1 x Leek, washed and diced
• 2 x Sticks of celery, diced
• 4 x Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 40gm Butter, diced
• 1/2 Bunch of thyme, chopped
• 60ml Vermouth (this can be substituted with dry white wine if you don’t have Vermouth in your spirits cabinet)
• Splash of Pernod
• 5 x Tbsp Plain flour
• 300ml Fish, chicken or vegetable stock (use which ever you prefer!) warmed 200ml Milk
• 100ml Cream
• 1/2 Bunch of parsley, chopped
• 1 x Lemon, zested
• 2 x Marinara mix packs (1kg)

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 185°C.

Step 2

Prepare the mashed potato topping: Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain well and mash ensuring there are no lumps. Add the butter, milk, salt and pepper and mix well. Allow to cool slightly, then stir in the egg yolks. Set your topping aside.

Pie preparation

Step 3

On a medium heat, sauté the onion, carrot, leek and celery for 2 minutes in a large pan with vegetable oil. Add the garlic, butter and thyme and cook until the vegetables have softened. Add the alcohol, and cook for 4-5 minutes until it has reduced by about half.

Step 4

Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute before gradually adding your stock. Be sure to continually stir as the stock is added to avoid lumps in your sauce.

Step 5

Once you’ve added all of the stock, simmer the sauce for 5-10 minutes until it has reduced by roughly 1/3. Turn to a low heat and add the milk. Let it simmer for another few minutes before adding the cream, parsley, lemon zest and seasoning (lots of salt and pepper!)

Step 6

In a large pie dish scatter the marinara mix then pour over the sauce. Mix well to make sure the seafood is distributed evenly.