Fish Pie

Ingredients

o   5 large yellow potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

o   2 large handfuls of spinach

o   4 tbsp butter, softened

o   4 tbsp olive oil

o   1 large onion, diced

o   3 carrots, diced

o   3 celery ribs, diced

o   1 ½ cups heavy cream

o   juice of 1 lemon

o   2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

o   1 lb cod, sliced into 1-inch pieces

o   1 puff pastry, thawed (or homemade)

Directions

1.     Preheat the oven to 450º.

2.     Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add in the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork/knife. In the final 2 minutes of cooking, place a colander above the potatoes, place the spinach in the colander, cover with the lid, and wilt the spinach.

3.     Remove the spinach from the colander and place in a small bowl. Squeeze out any excess water.

4.     Drain the potatoes, then return to the warm pot. Add in the softened butter, 2 hefty pinches of salt, a few cracks of pepper, and mash the potatoes until mostly smooth, with some chunks left in.

5.     Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent (~5 minutes). Then add in the carrots and celery and cook another 5 minutes.

6.     Add the heavy cream to the carrot celery pot and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and cheese.

7.     Roll out both pieces of the puff pastry until they fit a 10 or 12 inch square baking dish. Place one piece in the bottom of the dish and pierce it a few times with a fork.

8.     Spread the pieces of fish around the bottom of the dish followed by the spinach. Then ladle the carrot celery mixture evenly over the fish. Next spoon the mashed potatoes evenly over everything. Lastly, cover the dish with the second piece of puff pastry, cut a slit into the middle of the pie to let air escape while baking, and cover the edges with a pie crust saver or aluminum foil so the edges don’t burn.

9.     Place the dish on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 24 minutes (the top should be golden brown). Remove from the oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes then enjoy.

My dad was asking me to make a fish pie for years and we never found a good recipe so I eventually came up with this one and it’s quite good. It’s truly a meal in one with the fish, potatoes, veggies, and everything else, while also being an excellent comfort food option. While it’s a little complicated to pull together, after making it once or twice, you’ll be able to throw it together fairly quickly. 12/10 would recommend.