Potato and Feta Picnic Pie

If you mention going on a picnic in the blazing-sun-with-the-marauding-insects meaning of the word, you'll see my jaw clench and my shoulders tense. I don't like picnics. To me, balancing plates and wine glasses AND fighting the elements at the same time is stressful and exhausting. But if by picnic you mean throwing a rug in the middle of the living room floor and loading Game of Thrones in the Blu Ray machine, I'm there baby.



NOTE: If you don't have time to make your own pastry, or the thought of making your own gives you a nervous breakdown, use two sheets of store-bought flaky pastry.


Potato and Feta Picnic Pie
slightly adapted from Annabel Langbein's Free Range in the City
Serves 8

For the Rough Puff Pastry:
200g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
200g chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons chilled water

For the Filling:

1kg potatoes peeled and thinly sliced (I used Dutch Cream)

3 spring onions, thinly sliced

200g feta, crumbled

4 eggs

250ml milk

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoons thyme leaves

2 tablespoons chopped capers

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground back pepper

Make the Pastry:
Place flour and salt in the bowl in a food processor and pulse briefly to mix. Add the butter and blitz until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs. Add enough cold water to form a ball around the blade. Turn out into a lightly floured work surface and bring together with your hands. Form it into a ball and wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll out dough into a 30 x 15 cm rectangle. Fold in the two short ends to meet in the centre, then fold in again. Roll the pastry into a 30 x 15cm rectangle again, then repeat folding process. Refrigerate as a small rectangle for a further 30 minutes before using.

Preheat the oven to 190 C and slide in a baking sheet. Lightly spray a 25cm round pie dish with cooking oil spray and set aside.

Make the Filling:
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Remove 1 tablespoon of the mixture and set aside for brushing over the pie. Add the garlic, thyme, capers, mustard, salt and pepper to the larger portion of mixture and beat to combine. Set aside

Assemble the Pie:
Take the pastry out of the fridge. Divide into one 2/3 portion and one 1/3 portion. Take the larger portion and roll it out thinly to fit the pie dish. Line the base and sides of the pie dish with it.

Layer the potatoes into the pastry shell, sprinkling some onion slices and crumbled feta over each layer.

Pour the egg mixture evenly over the potatoes. Brush some of the reserved egg and milk mixture on the edges of the pastry and set aside

Take the smaller portion of pastry and roll it out thinly to create the top of the pie. Place on top of the filling, pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Cut off any excess pastry and crimp the edges. Brush the top of the pie with the egg and milk mixture.

Put the pie on top of the hot baking sheet and bake at 190 C for 45 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 160 C and back until the potatoes are tender (about a further 50 - 60 minutes). The potatoes will be cooked when a skewer inserted into the middle of the pie meets with no resistance.