Cheese & Potato Pie Recipe

Ooh now this is a lovely lovely recipe. My Mum's been making it as long as I can remember, it tastes gorgeously cheesey and also ticks the comfort food box.

Here we go then....

Slice up a pile of potatoes into slices maybe 0.5cm thick.
Slice up a couple of onions.
Grate a huuuuuuuge pile of cheese.

Take a casserole dish and fill it with layers of potato, onion and lots and lots of cheese. When the dish is full, pour milk on until the milk comes up to around 1cm below the brim.

Put it in the oven and bake for.... 3 - 4 hours. It seriously does take that long to cook as it's really dense and you need the potato to get really soft. If you don't have that long, then stick it in the microwave for 10 or 15 minutes first to get it hot through, then you can put it in the oven for around 1 hr and it should be fine. Check it's cooked by sticking a knife in the middle, if the potato is properly cooked then it should go in really easily.


Dish up piles of the cheesey goodness and enjoy!

Paella

Mmmmmmmmm I made paella for dinner last night :) it was so good! I've never made it before, so I semi-followed the recipe off the back of the rice packet. Unfortunately I failed to take a photo at the time because I was so hungry and it looked so good, so you can have a photo of the leftovers instead which I ate for lunch today :) :) :)

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 chicken breasts, chopped
2tsp paprika
1 leek, sliced (this wasn't in the original recipe!)
a handful of mushrooms, chopped
a mixed pack of asparagus, spring onions, baby courgettes and sugar snap peas, chopped (good ol' M&S)
11 oz/300 g paella rice
2 pints vegetable stock
salt and pepper
3tbsp dry sherry
a big handful of prawns
a big handful of frozen peas

Method
1. Fry the onion and leek for aaaaaages (like 10 mins) in a mixture of olive oil and butter (REAL butter whatever the doctors say, the taste has no comparison!) until it's all soft and lovely.
2. Add the garlic and chicken and fry for a few minutes.
3. Add the rest of the veg (except the peas) and fry for 5-10 mins until it's starting to look cooked.
4. Add the paprika and some seasoning, then stir in the rice and cook for about 5 mins so it's well coated.
5. Add the stock, heat up to the boil and then turn it down and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 mins (most of the stock should be absorbed)
6. Pour on the sherry, add the prawns and peas, put on a lid and give it another 5 mins.
7. Stir it all up, dollop (I love that word!) onto plates, and eat!

I think it'd be good with some fresh parsley on top too maybe... only we didn't have any so I couldn't try it out.

This should serve 4 people with reasonable appetites :) Enjoy!

Incidentally, I emailed this photo from my phone to the computer - being very technical today! My bit of advice - unless you get free internet don't bother, it cost £2!