Life of (Potato & Onion) Pie

Yesterday's challenge was one of the first real challenges in baking something savoury. Of course I have already baked bread a couple of times, cheese scones and of course the disastrous naan breads but yesterday's was a proper pie. Potato and Red Onion pie to be precise. For me this was also quite a significant evening in general because it was one of the last evenings I spent with all my housemates together before we head off to our various home towns across the country for summer. Part of the joy of baking this pie was that I was never going to be able to eat it all myself over a few days but that instead I could share it with my housemates and have a nice "family" meal together. The first time I cooked specifically for others...

Naturally it didn't all go to plan at all, so it didn't make for the wonderful family event I'd hoped. The first hiccup was the little fact that I had forgotten to get any more eggs. I had bought 15 eggs this time last week but already they had all vanished! I honestly never anticipated that, I mean I knew I'd need a lot of eggs but 15 in a week seems unreasonable! Luckily my housemate had one so I pressed on with the challenge... Until I realised I needed two... Dang! So to the shop I went, it seems that all I ever spend my money on these days is food. I'm rocketing through my student loan quicker than you can say "Orange and Poppy seed Bundt cake" (which still looms in my mind as the one challenge I dread to take on). Eggs in hand, pastry, onions and taters ("boil em mash em stick em in a stew") prepared the task carried on as intended. I must admit that seeing the puff pastry puff up in the oven is one of those wonderful delights in cooking. It unfolds like a flower tentatively in the start of spring and soon turns into something which looks remarkable and delicious. Brand new eggs whisked up with cream made the sauce to dribble into the top of the pie - another strangely enjoyable task, I am starting to get really geeky about this stuff - and then it was only a quarter  an hour before it was done.

The pie was a little bit too overdone on the outside and the veg was undercooked on the inside, so all in all not exactly great for the first pie I've made so far!Yet, despite those flaws, it was actually very tasty. Personally I am starting to doubt the credibilty of this book I'm working through (to be fair it was only £3 from The Works) so often the heat i've cooked it at has been way off... Though then again I am working on a "student" quality oven so I guess that may be playing a part!

The Result:

Mmm Undercooked...

Mmmm and Overcooked...

So all in all neither thumbs up or down for the poor ole Onion and Potato pie. But I learnt some pretty handy lessons (mainly to be careful with the heat of the oven and make sure it doesn't burn!