Golden Colcannon Pie Recipes

COLCANNON SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Filling: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Swirl in oil. Add lamb; season with 1 teaspoon salt and cook, breaking up into bite-size pieces and stirring occasionally, until browned in places and just cooked through, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Remove all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet; return to medium heat. Add onion and carrots; season with 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and golden in places, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook 30 seconds. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Return lamb and accumulated juices to skillet. Stir in Worcestershire, broth, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in peas and parsley. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish.
• Mash: In a large pot, cover potatoes with 1 inch of water; add 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until tender, 12 to 15 minutes; drain. Return pot to medium heat; swirl in oil. Add cabbage and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until collapsed and tender, 7 to 9 minutes. Return potatoes to pot; mash with a potato masher. Add milk and butter, mashing and stirring until mixture is creamy and cabbage is distributed evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Spread mash evenly over lamb mixture; brush top with butter. Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment.
• Bake until golden brown in places and bubbling along edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Pie can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 days.

POACHED CHICKEN & PANCETTA PIE WITH SPRING ONION COLCANNON

Steps:

• Sit the chicken in a large, lidded saucepan. Pour over the milk and stock, then nestle in 1 onion half and the bay leaves. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, then cover and cook gently for 1 hr 15 mins until the chicken is cooked through - when ready, it should be opaque through the middle and the internal temperature should read 70C on a meat thermometer. Remove from the heat and leave the chicken to cool in the poaching liquid for 30mins, or until cool enough to handle. Drain, reserving 600ml of the poaching liquid, then shred the meat off the carcass using two forks. Discard the bones (or see tip, below).
• Finely chop the remaining onion half. Heat a deep frying pan over a medium heat and fry the pancetta for 5 mins until crisp. Add the chopped onion and fry for 10 mins more until the onion has softened. Transfer the mixture to a plate using a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Melt the butter in the same pan, then stir in the flour and cook for 2 mins. Pour in the wine and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the reserved poaching liquid, a little at a time. Return the pan to a medium heat and cook for 5 mins, whisking continuously until thickened. Stir through the shredded chicken, the mustard and double cream. Season to taste. Spoon the mixture into an large ovenproof dish.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. To make the topping, cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for 15 mins until easily pierced with a cutlery knife. Drain, then tip back into the pan and leave to steam-dry for 10 mins. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the spring onions for 5 mins. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or fork, then stir through the buttery spring onions, the milk and seasoning. Spoon the mash over the chicken filling, then scatter over the cheese and bake for 30-35 mins until the topping is golden and crisp. The unbaked pie can be kept frozen for up to a month. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge overnight, then bake as above.

COLCANNON

Steps:

• Tip the potatoes into a large saucepan of water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15-20 mins, or until the flesh is tender when pierced.
• Meanwhile, heat quarter of the butter in a saucepan, then fry the bacon and half the cabbage for 5 mins (see Kevin's tip, below, for how to use remaining cabbage). Turn off the heat and set aside. Drain potatoes in a colander and peel while still hot.
• Mash potato until smooth. Heat cream with remaining butter and, when almost boiling, beat into the potato. Add bacon and cabbage to potato and mix. Season if you want.