CASSIE’S SOLUTIONS
If you’re cooking for yourself on Christmas Day, this special pie from food director Cassie Best is an easy way to enjoy all the festive lavours without making a huge meal
A festive Christmas dinner for one
the dilemma
I’m on my own for the big day, so I won’t be cooking a whole turkey and all the trimmings. But, I still want to enjoy a special Christmas dinner.
the solution
There’s no reason to miss out on any of the classic Christmas lavours with this pie. It’s illed with chicken, sausage and cranberry sauce, plus veg sides, all cooked together on one tray.
Christmas may not look quite the same this year – there will be fewer festive trips, friends visiting and faces around the dinner table. But that’s not to say we shouldn’t still enjoy ourselves.
If you’re spending Christmas alone, take the opportunity to make the day all about you, and choose the food you love. My can’t-live-without-it dish is chicken pie, so that’s what I’ve made here – with a Christmassy twist. You can make it ahead and freeze it, so it’s also a perfect way to prepare dinner for a friend or family member who will be on their own. There’s no better way to say ‘merry Christmas’ than cooking for a loved one.
Christmas dinner pie with roasted veg
SERVES 1 PREP 35 mins plus chilling COOK 1 hr 5 mins EASY G
200g plain lour, plus extra
for dusting
2 sage leaves, inely chopped grating of nutmeg
110g cold butter, cut into cubes 1 egg yolk gravy, to serve
For the illing
1 skinless chicken breast
1 pork sausage
1 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
2 tbsp cranberry sauce, plus
extra to serve
For the roasted vegetables
1 large loury potato, such as Maris Piper or King Edward, cut into 4 6 chunks
3 tbsp vegetable or rapeseed oil 80g Brussels sprouts, trimmed,
outer leaves removed
2 baby carrots
3 small parsnips, peeled
1 To make the pastry, put the flour, sage, a pinch of salt and grating of nutmeg in a bowl. Rub in the butter using your fingers until sandy. Beat the egg yolk with 1-2 tbsp water. Add most to the pastry, reserving 1 tsp. Mix, then bring together into a dough with your hands. Flatten into a disc. Wrap. Chill for 30 mins. 2 For the filling, lay the chicken on a board and cut it down the middle, without going all the way through, then into the sides of those cuts. Open it out like a book, then cut into six strips. Squeeze the sausagemeat from the skin.
3 Set aside a third of the pastry, then roll out the rest on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a 10p coin. Line a 10cm pie dish (3cm deep), leaving an overhang. Scatter the breadcrumbs over the base, then layer in half the chicken. Season, then spoon in half the cranberry sauce, the sausagemeat, the remaining cranberry sauce, and the rest of the chicken. Season. 4 Roll out the reserved pastry so it’s large enough to make a lid. Brush a little of the reserved egg wash around the edge of the pie, then top with the lid, pressing the edge to seal. Trim o any excess. Brush with the rest of the egg wash and cut a small steam hole in the centre. Will keep chilled for up to 24 hrs, or frozen for two months.
5 Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water for 5-8 mins until flu y but still holding their shape. Drain and leave to steam-dry. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the potatoes in half the oil on a large baking tray. Season. Bake with the pie for 30 mins.
6 Push the potatoes to one end of the tray, then add the rest of the veg to the other end. Toss with the rest of the oil and season. Bake for 20 mins more, covering the pie with foil if it darkens too quickly. Remove the pie from the oven (see tip, right) and roast the veg for 10-15 mins more until tender and the potatoes crisp. Serve with the gravy and extra cranberry sauce.
GOOD TO KNOW calcium • folate • ibre • vit c
• iron • 3 of 5-a-day
PER SERVING 2,460 kcals • fat 133g • saturates 66g • carbs 240g • sugars 29g • ibre 25g • protein 63g • salt 2.9g