This week I am basically only cooking for one. As I am doing the Dietbon diet plan, my meals are all sorted, and its only Todd I need to prepare dinner for. Its an opportunity for me to cook him some of his favourites, as well as test to see if I can downsize them successfully for one!
He is a simple man really, with very basic tastes. He's not overly fussy really with the exceptions of pasta, chocolate and lemon, none of which he really enjoys but will tolerate when push comes to shove. Its kind of ironic really as those are three things I really love!
Before we got married most of what he ate came out of a tin. Seriously. I kid you not. Easy to please.
Last time I went home to Canada, he actually broke our tin opener. He had to buy a new one. I arrived home to find my food storage cupboard seriously depleted. I dread to think of the combinations he was coming up with. The mind boggles. 😵 Only Todd could happily survive on basic ingredients alone!!
Potato Pie is one of his favorite meals. He adores potatoes in any way shape or form, but mashed is his absolute favourite!
He also loves cheese! He adores potato pie, because basically it is just cheesy mash baked in a casserole until golden brown!
Potato Pie. A simple dish. Comfort food at it's best. Quick, easy and delicious. ( I know you probably get tired of me saying that!)
This is a dish that's been around for a very long time. A dish which doesn't cost a lot of money and which you don't even really need meat to serve with it . . . although you could if you wanted to.
We have always just enjoyed it plain, like this, in its simplest form . . . a simple supper served with some buttered brown bread and some pickled beets. The milk and cheese provide plenty of protein . . .
Today I added a chopped Spring Onion just to charge it up a bit and Todd really enjoyed the addition.
He licked the platter clean and there was nothing left. He was a very happy camper. I am not surprised really as it is really tasty. It too all of my willpower to keep from digging into it myself!
If you have a family that you would like to feed this to, you can find my full sized recipe here. If you want to add some chopped spring onion to it, I would add 4 spring onions, finely chopped.
Yield: 1Author: Marie Rayner
Potato Pie for One
prep time: 15 minscook time: 30 minstotal time: 45 minsButtery, golden brown on top, meltingly cheese inside, atop a base of crunchy buttery bread crumbs. Deliciously simple.ingredients:
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters- 2 TBS whole milk
- 1 TBS butter
- 30g strong cheddar cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
- salt and white pepper to taste
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped (optional)
- 20g white breadcrumbs, lightly crisped (1/3 cup)
- a bit of melted butter to brush on top
- softened butter to butter the dish
instructions:
- Put the potatoes into some slightly salted water and bring to the boil. Boil until soft and then drain well.
Pre-heat
the oven to 220*C/425*F. Lightly butter a small pie dish.
Add the breadcrumbs and coat the bottom and sides with them, pressing to
make them stick well. (To prepare the crumbs, toast them in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes until crisped up)- Shake the pan of potatoes over the burner
to dry them out and then remove from the heat entirely. Add the milk
and butter and mash completely until smooth. Stir in the cheese and
seasonings. (Stir in spring onion if using.) Spoon this mixture into the prepared pie dish. Rough up the
top with the tines of a fork and then brush with some melted butter. - Bake in the heated oven for 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
Its very easy to make your own soft bread crumbs. I just blitzed a slice of bread in the mini food processor. Then I toasted them lightly in a hot oven to crisp them up a bit. Easy peasy.
Just in case you are interested in what I had, here is a picture. This was the Chicken Marinated with Thyme and Lemon, served with baby vegetables. When I saw all the peas, I kind of cringed a bit as they are not my favorite vegetable, but I was really hungry. Actually it was really quite delicious. Bon Appetit!
