Lenten Butter Pie?

This is a classic Lacashire recipe from Britain.  It's a savory pie that uses potato and onion.

It's also known locally as 'Friday Pie' or 'Catholic Pie'. Traditionally, it was served on Fridays to comply with the Catholic rule of not eating meat on that day.  It is typically served with pickled red cabbage or beetroot, likely a good palate-cleanser for this high carbohydrate meal.

Lacashire Butter Pie

 

Ingredients:

For the Pastry:

240g plain flour (2 scant cups)
60g butter (ample half stick)
60g lard or dripping  (heaping 1/4 cup)
cold water, to bind

 For the Filling:
3 large potatoes
1 onion
6 tbsp butter
1 tbsp water
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Butter Pie Preparation:

Method:

Sift the flour into a bowl then dice in the butter and lard.

Rub into the flour with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add enough cold water to bring the mixture together as a dough.

Take just over half the dough and roll out on a lightly-floured work surface until large enough to cover the base of your pie dish (this needs to be fairly deep).

Cover the remaining pastry and refrigerate.


Peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks.

Boil in lightly-salted water for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft, but still hold their shape.

Drain and slice into the pie dish.

Peel the onions and slice into rings then layer these over the potatoes.

Season with salt and black pepper, dot the butter over the top then add the water.

Take the remaining pastry from the refrigerator then roll out until large enough to cover the top of the pie.

Crimp the edges together to seal, pierce the top with a fork then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C (350°F) and bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through and golden.

Serve with pickled red cabbage and/or beetroot.

It's mandatory to serve this pie with HP sauce or tomato ketchup.

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