Organic Chicken Sausage Pie

 

 

A warming, hearty pie remedies all manner of ills. Lovingly encased in crisp, buttery pastry and oozing with rich sauce, not to mention the double meaty hit, this pie is real showstopper.

 

Serves 4 - 6

Cooking time: 45 minutes, plus 30 minutes prep

 

Ingredients

 

 

300g shortcrust pastry

50g butter

300 – 400g leftover chicken, shredded

4 organic pork sausages

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 tbsp plain flour

400ml whole milk

¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

20g fresh thyme, leaves only

100ml double cream

Olive oil

1 egg, beaten

 

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.
2. Make the white sauce for the pie in a medium saucepan. Melt the butter and add the garlic, frying for a minute before adding the flour. Stir the flour into a paste and cook for a minute before gradually adding the milk. Keep stirring to prevent lumps from forming to end up with a smooth thickened sauce. Season well and add the nutmeg and thyme.
3. Meanwhile cut the sausages into large chunks or squeeze the sausage meat from the skins and roll into balls. In a frying pan, heat a splash of olive oil until hot, then all the sausage balls and fry until golden on all sides.
4. Stir the double cream into the white sauce and add the shredded chicken and sausage balls. Pour into a pie dish and top with the rolled shortcrust pastry. Crimp the edges around the edge of the dish to seal and brush the pastry lid with the beaten egg.
5. Cook the pie in the oven for 20 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and lightly golden.

 

Tip: If you want the proper pie experience, line the inside of the pie dish with shortcrust pastry and blind bake at 200°C/Gas Mark 6 for 15 minutes. To blind bake, line the pastry with baking parchment and fill with ceramic baking beans or rice. Then remove the paper and beans/rice and bake for a further 5 minutes. This should prevent a soggy bottom! (Although we quite like them too…)