Cheesy Potato & Baked Bean Pie

 

 

There is a channel on YouTube that I like to watch by this Scottish lady called Cheryl. It is called What's For Tea?  (Tea is what they call supper over in the U.K.)   I just kind of stumbled onto her channel a year or so ago and I enjoyed what I saw.

She mostly does grocery shopping unbagging on Saturday afternoons, and she does Meals of the Week on Sundays.  Occasionally she will share a recipe that she has made.  I enjoy all three of those things.

I really like to see some of my favorite groceries that I am missing from the U.K. and to compare prices with what is available here where I live.   I also love listening to her accent and I love seeing what they eat generally speaking. They do eat a lot of oven chips, baked potatoes, and beans.  But I don't mind because I enjoy all three of those things myself!  I also think us foodies need to support each other if we can!

Occasionally she will post a recipe for something she has made.  One day last week she posted this Cheesy Potato & Baked Bean Pie Recipe that looked really interesting!

I love, LOVE Potato Pie, which is a simple dish made from mashed potatoes and cheese, baked in a buttered bread crumb lined dish and served hot with buttered brown bread and pickled beetroot.  Its a very British Thing.

I knew I would probably enjoy this Cheesy Potato & Baked Bean Pie recipe also because it was basically the same, but with an added layer of baked beans and extra cheese in the middle!  

I did make a few changes. First of all I cut the recipe in half so that it feeds only two to three people. She had a bread crumb topping which I switched out to a cracker crumb and butter topping.  I used strong cheddar so that the flavor wouldn't be lost.

I also streamlined the instructions so that they are a bit more understandable and provided a printable recipe for those of you who want to try it and want a print out.  Altogether this was really delicious. I really enjoyed it!  Simple ingredients put together in a simple way!  Very, very tasty, and a great Vegetarian main!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHEESY POTATO & BAKED BEAN PIE

This is a simple store cupboard meal that spells COMFORT!  Easy to make and using simple ingredients.  This really is a fabulous mid week supper that the family is sure to enjoy!

For the potatoes:

• 1 pound (450g) floury type potatoes (potatoes which are good for mashing, such as a russet, a Yukon gold or a Maris Piper)
• 2 fat cloves of garlic peeled and cut in half
• 1 1/2 TBS butter
• 1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk, heated until warm
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 2 1/2 ounces (75g) grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and black pepper to taste

You will also need:

• 2 1/2 ounces (75g) grated strong/sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup (100g) baked beans in tomato sauce
• 5 or 6 round buttery crackers, crushed
• 1/2 TBS butter, melted

 

People sometimes get a bit confused when I talk about floury potatoes. I know for many years I did not know what that meant.  A floury potato is a potato that, when cooked, have a mealy, soft and fluffy  and dry flesh, unlike a waxy potato which holds its shape for the most part when cooking.

A floury potato will have a whiter colored flesh, whereas a waxy potato might tend to have a more yellow colored flesh.  When cooking/boiling a floury potato in the skins the skins tend to burst and peel back a bit.  This rarely happens with a waxy potato. 

Floury potatoes are better suited to baking, deep frying, and mashing, where you want that light mealy texture. Waxy potatoes are better for pan frying and boiling and making into potato salads because they hold their shape better.

 

 

I used Heinz beans in tomato sauce for this.  If your beans are really saucy, do drain them a bit so that the pie mixture doesn't get too soggy.  

Using strong flavored cheeses such as Parmesan and a strong cheddar really adds a lovely flavor base to this dish, as does the garlic.  I love cheese and beans together. I love cheese and potatoes together.  This might seem a strange combination but trust me when I say it is really lovely.

Don't skip the buttered crumb topping. It adds a tasty bit of crunch. You want a buttery round cracker like Ritz crackers, or Town Crackers, or in the U.K. TUC crackers.  To crush them just put them into a baggie, zip shut and roll a tin can over them. You want some larger bits as well as plenty of smaller bits.

 

HOW TO MAKE CHEESY POTATO & BAKED BEAN PIE

This is a really simple make. You could make it up ahead of time and then just bang it into the oven about half an hour before you are ready to eat as well! 

Peel your potatoes, rinse, and cut into 2 inch chunks. Put your potatoes and garlic into a pan of lightly salted water. Bring to the boil. Cook until fork tender. (15 to 20 minutes) Drain well. Discard half of the garlic.

Mash the potatoes well, along with the butter and the heated milk until fairly smooth. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste and parsley flakes.

 

Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Butter a 2 1/2 to 3 cup pie dish well.

Layer half of the mashed potatoes into the pie dish, pressing it out evenly. Spread the baked beans over top. Sprinkle 2/3 of your grated cheddar over the beans and then top with the remainder of the mashed potatoes to cover, pressing down lightly.

Rough up the top of the potatoes with a fork. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese. Combine the crushed cracker crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle over the top of the cheese.

 

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and well heated through. The beans should be bubbling around the edges.

Leave to sit for 5 minutes or so before scooping out onto heated plates to serve.

If you really want to you could add a layer of canned corned beef, Spam, or sliced ham over top of the beans and cheese.  For the children you could add sliced hot dogs. Beans and weiners are a real favorite combination!

 

This was really nice. I enjoyed the textures and flavors.  Two kinds of cheese, one in the potatoes and the other layered on top of the beans and the casserole with that crispy crumb made for a really delicious and simple meal.  This was real comfort food!  Plain, simple and deliciously hearty!

I enjoyed mine with a simple salad of cubed cucumbers & chopped cherry tomatoes, in a simple vinaigrette dressing with avocado oil, cider vinegar, mint, dill, kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper. This was quite simply a winning combination. The casserole and the salad.

Is the potato your favorite vegetable?  It is one of mine. I never tire of eating them or looking for new ways to prepare them. Here are a few of my favorites!

CRUNCHY CHEESE POTATOES - These potatoes are as simple as peeling and slicing potatoes and then stirring them into a sour cream/milk mixture a pouring them into a buttered baking dish. You tightly cover them with foil and bake, until the potatoes are fork tender. The timing depends on the type of potatoes you use.  Older potatoes seem to take longer to cook. Once they are tender you just sprinkle some cheese and cornflake crumbs over top and return to the oven to crisp them up.   A scattering of fresh chives on top and Bob's your Uncle.   They're ready to serve! 

CRISPY POTATO ROAST - These are simply gorgeous  . . .  just buttery enough, with plenty of flavor. Potatoes layered, perpendicular style, in a baking dish with fried onions. The end result is potatoes that are nice and tender inside, delicious flavors,  but there were also plenty of lovely crisp golden edges to satisfy. Crisp potatoes?  Count me in!  

Yield: 2 - 3 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Cheesy Potato & Baked Bean Pie

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 25 MinInactive time: 5 MinTotal time: 50 Min

A delicious Vegetarian Main for the smaller family. If you want you could add a layer of sliced ham or corned beef, in which case it would no longer be Vegetarian. It also makes a great side dish.

Ingredients

For the potatoes:

• 1 pound (450g) floury type potatoes (potatoes which are good for mashing, such as a russet, a Yukon gold or a Maris Piper)
• 2 fat cloves of garlic peeled and cut in half
• 1 1/2 TBS butter
• 1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk, heated until warm
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 2 1/2 ounces (75g) grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and black pepper to taste

You will also need:

• 2 1/2 ounces (75g) grated strong/sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup (100g) baked beans in tomato sauce
• 5 or 6 round buttery crackers, crushed
• 1/2 TBS butter, melted

Instructions

1. Peel your potatoes, rinse, and cut into 2 inch chunks. Put your potatoes and garlic into a pan of lightly salted water. Bring to the boil. Cook until fork tender. (15 to 20 minutes) Drain well. Discard half of the garlic.
2. Mash the potatoes well, along with the butter and the heated milk until fairly smooth. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste and parsley flakes.
3. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Butter a 2 1/2 to 3 cup pie dish well.
4. Layer half of the mashed potatoes into the pie dish, pressing it out evenly. Spread the baked beans over top. Sprinkle 2/3 of your grated cheddar over the beans and then top with the remainder of the mashed potatoes to cover, pressing down lightly.
5. Rough up the top of the potatoes with a fork. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese. Combine the crushed cracker crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle over the top of the cheese.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and well heated through. The beans should be bubbling around the edges.
7. Leave to sit for 5 minutes or so before scooping out onto heated plates to serve.

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