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Chicken pie topped with potato & thyme crust

Name: Chicken pie topped with potato & thyme crust
Ingredients: 20g butter; 1 Tbsp flavourless oil; 2 leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced; 1 carrot, finely chopped; 2 celery stalks, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and chopped; 700g skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks; 2 Tbsp plain flour (gluten-free if necessary); 200ml white wine; 200ml chicken stock; 1 bay leaf; 1 tsp wholegrain mustard; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 2 Tbsp double cream; Pinch freshly grated nutmeg; To taste sea salt; 1kg small desirée potatoes, thinly sliced; 30g butter, melted; 8 sprigs thyme, leaves picked; To taste sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

By Kathy Kordalis

The pie mixture is very versatile and you can make it in advance. As a variation, you could replace the potato topping with shop-bought puff pastry. This dish pairs well with an English pale ale.

20g	butter
1 Tbsp	flavourless oil
2	leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced
1	carrot, finely chopped
2	celery stalks, finely chopped
3	garlic cloves, crushed
4	sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and chopped
700g	skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp	plain flour (gluten-free if necessary)
200ml	white wine
200ml	chicken stock
1	bay leaf
1 tsp	wholegrain mustard
1 tsp	Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp	double cream
Pinch	freshly grated nutmeg
To taste	sea salt

1kg	small desirée potatoes, thinly sliced
30g	butter, melted
8 sprigs	thyme, leaves picked
To taste	sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy-based pan, add the leeks, carrot, celery, garlic and thyme and cook for 2 minutes until starting to soften.
Add the chicken and cook gently without colouring for up to 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the wine and stir continuously, making sure that the wine reduces and the sauce thickens. Pour in the chicken stock one-third at a time, stirring continuously and making sure the sauce is thick and smooth before adding the next batch.
Add the bay leaf, cover the pan and cook gently for 1 hour.
Stir in the mustards, cream and freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Add salt if needed.
Preheat the oven to 180 ̊C (350 ̊F) Gas 4.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to the boil, add the thinly sliced potatoes and boil for 12 minutes, take off the heat and drain well. Spread them out in a layer to allow the excess water to evaporate off.
Place the chicken mixture into a pie dish 24cm in diameter and carefully lay the potatoes on top of the filling, overlapping them slightly, like a pie top.
Brush the potatoes with a little melted butter, season with salt and pepper and top with the thyme. Cook in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes. The pie is ready once the potatoes are cooked and golden brown.

Edited extract from

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by Kathy Kordalis, published by