Cheeseboard and onion hand pies

1 HOUR 10 MINUTES + CHILLING | MAKES 4 | EASY |

onions 2 large, finely chopped

floury potato 150g (about 1 medium), cut into 11/2cm cubes

unsalted butter 2 tbsp

plain flour 2 tbsp

whole milk 400ml

left-over hard cheese (we used a mixture of cheddar, pecorino and gruyère) 400g, grated

english mustard 2 tsp

white pepper a pinch

egg 1, beaten, to glaze

ready-made puff pastry sheets 2 x 320g pickle or chutney to serve

1 Put the onions and potato into a steamer basket and steam for 8-10 minutes or until tender.

2 Melt the butter in a pan over a low-medium heat, sprinkle in the flour and mix into a thick paste. Add the milk, a splash at a time, stirring continuously, until you have a lump-free white sauce. Cook gently for a few more minutes until thickened. Stir in the cheese and mustard, and season with a pinch of white pepper. Cook for a minute more until the cheese has melted, then remove from the heat and fold in the onions, potato and a little salt, depending on the saltiness of the cheeses. Transfer to a dish and cool to room temperature, then chill until you’re ready to bake.

3 Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Unravel the pastry sheets and cut each into two rectangles. Spoon the cheese sauce onto the middle of one side of each pastry rectangle, leaving a 1cm border.

4 Brush the exposed pastry border with the beaten egg, then fold over the other side and crimp the edge with a fork to seal. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking paper and brush with more egg. Cut a cross into the tops of the pies for steam holes. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden and puffed up. Cool for 10 minutes, then serve with pickle or chutney.

PER PIE 1,259 kcals | fat 83.8G saturates 45.8G | carbs 78.8G | sugars 14.6G fibre 8.1G | protein 43.4G | salt 3.8G