Lorna’s Curry Potato Pie

Serves 4 - with left overs

Pastry Ingredients:

2 ½ cups Self Raising Flour
125gr Butter
½ teaspoon Salt
½ cup Water

Filling & Topping Ingredients:

300gr Sausage Mince
3 teaspoons Curry Powder
300gr Topside Mince
1 tablespoon Tomato Sauce
1 Large onion (chopped roughly)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
I Carrot (grated)
2 Beef Stock Cubes
Salt & Pepper
3 tablespoons Plain Flour to thicken
1 cup Water
5 Large Potatoes (mashed for topping)
1 tablespoon Butter/Oil

Method for making Pastry:

Pre-heat “HOT” oven.

Sift Self Raising Flour and Salt into a largish bowl. Make a well in the centre to add the other ingredients into. Melt butter and pour into well and add the Water also. Mix all together using fingers (bringing the flour in from the sides to start). Knead the mixture until it becomes like dough. Sprinkle a little flour onto clean surface (table or large cooking board) and flatten the dough ball out with your hands into the shape of the pie dish you will be using. Once it has been flattened by hand, use a rolling pin to roll out to the size you will need (rub flour onto rolling pin as well to stop the dough from sticking).

Grease and flour pie dish and place rolled out dough into it, making sure dough goes up the side of the dish. Place in oven and bake for a little while so it becomes partly cooked and a little brown (10mins?). Remove from oven and set aside.

Method for filling and Mashed Potato Topping:

In a large Saucepan, brown chopped Onions in Butter over medium heat. Once browned, turn heat up a bit higher & add both lots of mince. Use either a potato masher or metal whisk to blend and squash the minces & onions together while they fry – mix well until totally blended in and there are no big lumps. Keep frying & stirring over high heat until browned. Turn heat down to medium and add in Tomato and Worcestershire Sauces, crumbled Beef Stock Cubes and Curry Powder. Add grated carrot. Mix in well. Stir the water in – cover with lid and allow to cook. Check every now and then – give it a stir to make sure it’s not sticking to the bottom of the saucepan and that the water isn’t evaporating too fast. You might need to add more water during cooking time – if so, just add ½ cup at a time so that the mixture is sloppy (like a lumpy soup). Mix flour with a little extra water in a cup until it is a thick smooth runny paste. Stir into meat mixture to thicken. Mince needs to be quite thick so you may have to add more flour and water. Remove from heat once thickened.

While this is cooking, peel potatoes and cut into ¼ ‘s to boil. Once the potatoes have boiled, drain water and add butter and milk while mashing. Only add a little at a time – potato mixture needs to be firm so it will sit on top of the mince.

Spoon mince mixture into pie base, even out with back of tablespoon. Place dabs of mashed potato all over the top with a dessertspoon. Once all potato has been added, smooth out gently with the back of the dessertspoon until all mince mixture is covered. Place pie in oven on HOT heat – it will be cooked once the potato has started turning golden brown (can’t remember off hand how long…10 – 15 minutes…maybe a bit longer)