Recipe: chicken and leek pie

This is divine comfort food... 'nuff said ^_^

What do I need?

Kitchen Stuff:
- 3 saucepans
- casserole dish (about 18x6cm across)
- frying pan
- masher

Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts (diced)
- 2 medium leeks
- a can of cider
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- bayleaf, thyme
- 5 potatoes, peeled and halved
- 275ml milk
- 20g plain flour
- 20g butter
- cayenne
- 25g mature cheddar
-10g parmesan
- nutmeg (if you want something special)
- acouple of tablespoons creme fraiche
- some butter for mashing

(makes enough for 2)

Preparation 20-ish minutes, Cooking time 20 minutes

Step 1 -- Preheat the oven

Pre-heat the oven to about 200oC.

Step 2 -- Boil the potatoes

Half the peeled potatoes and add them to a pan of water. Boil for 20 minutes.

Step 3 -- Simmer the 'marinade'

Add the cider to the saucepan, along with the carrots, bay leaf, thyme and some salt and pepper. Bring to boiling point, then add a lid to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.

Step 4 -- Prepare the leeks

Take the top end of the leeks off, and half the stalk, running them under the tap incase there's still soil inside them. Then chop finely.

You don't have to - but I would then fry them in butter on a low heat for about 10 minutes until they are golden. This really brings out the flavour. Put them onto a piece of kitchen roll to soak off excess butter before going onto Step 3.

Step 5 -- Add to the cider 'sauce'

Add the leeks and the diced chicken to the pan with the cider-esque marinade. Cover the pan again and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Step 4 -- Make the main sauce roue

In another saucepan add the flour, butter and cayenne pepper and heat slowly, continually stirring until a paste is formed. Then add the milk gradually, until the paste gradually develops and thickens into a sauce-like consistency. Add all except a couple of handfuls of the cheese and continue to mix.

Step 6 -- Drain the chicken and the leeks

Drain the chicken and the leeks to remove the bay leaves, but keep the liquid. Return the liquid to the pan and reduce until there's only about half a cm or so left in the pan.

Step 7 -- Add everything together

Stir the cheese sauce made in Step 4 into this liquid. Simmer, and stir in the chicken, carrots and leeks. Add everything to the casserole dish.

Step 8 -- Mash the potato

Drain the boiled potatoes and add alittle milk and butter. Mash until smooth and add acouple of handfuls of cheese and a decent grating of salt and pepper.

Step 9 -- Put it in the oven!

Smooth the potato across the surface of the dish, and sprinkle the potato with the last of the cheese. Put into the oven for about 20 minutes until golden on the top.