Great British Bake Off’s north-east star Norman Calder presents his latest video with the Press and Journal in association with Laing’s of Inverurie.
The retired Merchant Navy radio officer from Buckie, won the hearts of millions of viewers with his unassuming manner and rustic cooking style when he appeared on the BBC phenomenon.
The 67-year-old, who has been dubbed “Stormin’ Norman”, said he nearly backed out of the show after applying. But his excited family left him with no choice but to go through with it.
Now, in an exclusive video series filmed for the Press and Journal website, Norman is using the luxury cooking equipment and kitchens of Laing’s of Inverurie, leader in the design, supply and installation of luxury kitchens for over 20 years, to teach burgeoning bakers new tricks.
This week, it’s French potato pie….
I picked up this recipe in Luxembourg last September when I visited the “Gromperfest” Potato Harvest Festival at Binsfeld in the Ardennes.
I have made it using Roosters, Desiree and Kerrs Pink potatoes – all good.
I have also included my recipe for rough puff pastry but works just as well with shop bought puff pastry, you’ll need two sheets of the ready rolled kind.
Ingredients for the Rough Puff Pastry
· 225g plain flour
· Pinch salt
· 75g margarine
· 75g lard
Add the flour and salt to a bowl and cut the marg and lard into ¼” pieces. Mix the fat and flour using a knife and do not rub in the fat. Bring together with chilled water and mix to a stiff dough.
Roll out the dough to approx. 18” x6”, fold in three and give it a quarter turn, repeating this procedure two more times.
Chill the pastry for around thirty minutes, roll out and cut into two circles; one of 9” and one of 8” and set aside in a cool place.
Ingredients for the Potato Pie
· Butter for greasing
· 85ml double cream
· 85ml single cream
· 750g waxy new potatoes, such as charlotte, scraped clean or peeled
· 75g (2 large) shallots, finely chopped
· 3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
· ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
· 1 tsp salt
· 3 medium free-range egg yolks
· 1 tbsp mixed chopped fresh parsley, chives and tarragon
METHOD
1. Bring a large pan of well salted water (1 tsp per 600ml) to the boil. Thinly slice the potatoes, ideally on a mandoline. Drop them into the boiling water and simmer for 3 minutes, until just tender when pierced with a small sharp knife. Drain and refresh under running cold water. Drain once more, spread the slices out on a clean tea towel, then pat dry thoroughly.
2. Tip the potatoes into a large mixing bowl and gently stir in half the cream mixture, the chopped shallot, garlic, nutmeg, ¾ tsp salt and a little pepper. Arrange the potato slices in an overlapping pattern in the centre of the smaller circle of pastry, leaving a 2.5cm border clear around the edge.
3. Beat one of the egg yolks with 1 tsp cold water. Brush a little of the mixture around the edge of the pastry, lay the second larger circle of pastry over the top of the filling and press the edges together well to seal, pressing out any trapped air as you do so. Crimp the edges between your thumb and forefinger to give an attractive finish, then chill the pie for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas7.
4. Brush the top of the pie with the remaining glaze, then, with the tip of a sharp knife, score the pastry lightly into portion-sized sections and score a 2.5cm-wide circle in the centre of the lid. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes until puffed up and richly golden, then lower the temperature to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Cover the pie with a loose sheet of foil if it seems brown enough, then continue to bake for 10 minutes or until the potatoes feel tender when you pierce the centre of the pie with a skewer.
5. Gently warm the remaining cream in a small pan, remove from the heat and mix in the remaining egg yolks, the mixed herbs and ¼ tsp of salt. Take the pie out of the oven and turn the temperature back up to 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7. Cut out the scored circle from the centre of the pie and gently make a small gap between the potatoes and the underside of the pastry lid, using the handle of a teaspoon if necessary. Very slowly pour in the egg and herb cream, tilting the tray backwards and forwards to encourage the cream to filter into the filling. Do this slowly and carefully, as it might not all fit in. Replace the pastry circle.
6. Return the pie to the oven, cover with foil if you think it’s browning too quickly, then bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, leave to cool for 5 minutes, then slice into wedges.
