Name: Fish pie with piped potato
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 85 min
Total time: 115 min
Yield: 8 - 10
Ingredients: 75 gm butter, diced; 2 leeks (white part only), sliced; 1 dried bay leaf; 40 gm plain flour; 200 ml dry white wine; 200 ml fish stock; ½ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley; 2 tsp thyme; 2 tsp tarragon; 6 eggs, room temperature; 1 hot-smoked trout, skin and bones removed, flaked; 900 gm skinless hapuku fillet, or similar white-fleshed fish, cut into 4 cm cubes; 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan; Olive oil, for drizziling; Potato crust; 1.8 kg Desiree potatoes (about 5 large), peeled and cut into 5 cm pieces; 100 ml pouring cream; 200 gm butter, diced

Fish pie with piped potato

An old-school favourite.

Serves 8 - 10

Prep

30M

Cook

1H 25M

Total

1H 55M

Fish pie topped with mashed potato is an old-school favourite that makes a great Sunday lunch, especially when the temperature starts to dip.

Ingredients

75 gm butter, diced

2 leeks (white part only), sliced

1 dried bay leaf

40 gm plain flour

200 ml dry white wine

200 ml fish stock

½ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tsp thyme

2 tsp tarragon

6 eggs, room temperature

1 hot-smoked trout, skin and bones removed, flaked

900 gm skinless hapuku fillet, or similar white-fleshed fish, cut into 4 cm cubes

2 tbsp finely grated parmesan

Olive oil, for drizziling

Potato crust

1.8 kg Desiree potatoes (about 5 large), peeled and cut into 5 cm pieces

100 ml pouring cream

200 gm butter, diced

Method

Main

1.Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat, add leeks and bay leaf and fry until leeks are very soft and start to caramelise (20-25 minutes). Add flour and stir until sandy coloured (5-7 minutes). Gradually add wine, stirring to combine between additions, then add stock in the same way, increase heat to high and bring to the boil, stirring for 1 minute to combine and thicken. Season to taste, stir in herbs, then pour into a 2-litre baking dish and set aside.

2.For potato crust, boil potatoes in a large saucepan of salted water until tender (10-12 minutes), then drain well, return to pan and add cream. Return to heat, bring to the boil, then remove from heat and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Gradually add butter, stirring to combine well, season to taste and keep warm over low heat.

3.Add eggs to a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 7 minutes, then drain, refresh in cold running water, peel, quarter and set aside.

4.Preheat oven to 200C and transfer mashed potato to a heatproof piping bag fitted with a 2cm-3cm plain nozzle. Scatter fish and eggs over sauce, scatter with parmesan, then pipe mashed potato over the top to cover. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, then bake, turning dish occasionally, until filling is bubbling and the crust is golden (50-55 minutes). Serve hot.