NZ's best Bacon and Egg Pie, made with Heller's Free Range Danish Middle Eye Bacon. A huge call I know, but... I have been making and perfecting this bacon beauty for years and I think I’ve finally cracked it!

Ingredients

6	White onions
½ cup	Oil
1 Tbsp	Fennel seeds
1 Tbsp	Rosemary
1 Tbsp	Thyme
1 Tbsp	Butter
3 cloves	Garlic, thinly slice
4 sprigs	Fresh sage, removed and chopped
1 cup	Frozen peas, defrosted
4 sheets	Flaky pastry
3 Tbsp	Tomato relish, plus extra to serve
10	Eggs, 5 for custard, 5 to crack into pie
2 Tbsp	Fresh chives, chopped
1 Tbsp	Whole grain mustard
125 g	Cream cheese, softened
¾ cup	Grated tasty cheese
1	Egg, to glaze pie
1 pinch	Salt, to taste
1 pinch	Cracked pepper, for taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 160C.

Leave the skins on the onions and cut them in half through the core.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Drizzle with oil, fennel seeds, rosemary and thyme and generously season with cracked pepper and sea salt.

Place the cut onions flesh side down onto the tray pushing them around in the oil.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour, they are ready when soft to touch and the flesh is golden brown.

Remove the onions from the oven and once cool enough remove the onion skins and cores. Slice each half into thirds and set aside.

Turn your oven up to 200C.

Grease a 25cm square or round pie dish and line it with flaky pastry. Allow it to come up over the top edges as it shrinks a little when baking. Prick the pastry with a fork including the sides and then line the pastry with baking paper. You will need to blind bake it to ensure the bottom isn’t soggy. Weigh it down with ceramic baking peas [rice works well if you don’t have any ceramic peas just make sure you put a good amount of rice on the paper].

Bake for 15 mins then remove the baking peas and paper and bake a further 5 mins. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large fry pan over medium heat render the bacon for 6-7 mins then add the butter, garlic and sage leaves. Stir and cook for 3 mins then add the cooked onions and peas and cook a further 5 mins. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together using a fork, 5 eggs, chives, mustard, cream cheese, grated cheese and a few twists of cracked pepper and a pinch of sea salt.

To assemble spread the tomato relish evenly over the cooked pastry base. Now spread the onion-bacon filling onto the base and make 5 small random depressions into it. Crack the remaining eggs into each one. Pour the egg-cheese custard evenly all over the pie and top with a pastry lid; pierce a small hole into the centre of the lid to allow the steam to escape during baking.

Glaze with egg wash and bake for 50-60 mins until golden brown.

Serve with a side of tomato relish and a crisp green salad.

*Note – if sage leaves are out of season then substitute with 1 tbsp dried rubbed sage leaves.