Spinach potato cheddar pies

Sometimes it pays to try new things and these spinach potato cheddar pies are just delicious. The pastry in these pies was an experiment using coconut oil with butter to make pastry. What a eureka moment! It’s the most tender yet crisp pastry. Combined with the tasty spinach and cheese filling, these little pies are amazing. Great hot and almost as good cold. Give them a go you’ll be impressed too.

  • Prep Time

    30 Minutes
  • Cook Time

    25 Minutes
  • Makes

    8 Pies

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup plain whole meal flour
  • ¾ cup plain white flour
  • 85g butter chilled and diced
  • 85g coconut oil chilled and cut in small pieces
  • a small pinch salt
  • up to 1/2 cup full cream milk

filling

  • 1 small waxy potato boiled and diced
  • 200g spinach
  • ½ cup cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 150g tasty cheddar, grated
  • 100g feta crumbled
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper

You'll Need

  • Multix Bake
  • Multix Cling

Method

  1. In a large bowl add the flours, chilled butter, coconut oil and salt.
  2. Using your clean fingers rub the butter and coconut oil into the flour until they resemble fine bread crumbs. You can also do this in a food processor but I think you get a more ‘tender’ result making it by hand. Stir in just enough milk to bring the flour mixture together. Use your hands to press the pastry together in the bowl and then transfer to a lightly floured clean dry bench top, knead for about 3-4 minutes or until smooth. Shape into flattened ball, cover with Multix cling and  refrigerate for at least half an hour.
  3. While the pastry chills make the filling.
  4. Place the washed spinach in a large heatproof bowl, boil a kettle and pour boiling water over the spinach for just long enough to wilt it. Drain it in a sieve. As soon as it’s cool enough to handle squeeze as much water as possible from the wilted spinach. Tip: To make removing the water easier, place the cooked spinach into either a clean tea towel or chux and twist the loose ends to force the water out. Chop the spinach finely and transfer to a large bowl with the cooked diced potato, 1 lightly beaten egg, the cream, crushed garlic, nutmeg, feta, and two thirds of the grated cheddar. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Preheat to oven to 180°C
  6. Line a large oven tray with Multix Bake. Remove the pastry from the cling film and roll it out to a large rectangle about 2 to 3 mm thick on a lightly floured smooth surface.
  7. Cut 8 squares of pastry about 14 X 14cm. (You may have to reuse the pastry off cuts to get 8 squares)
  8. Divide the filling into 8 and place in the center or each pastry square. Brush the edges with a little water. Draw the four corners of pastry together in the centre of each pie and crimp the edges to stick them together.
  9. Transfer to the lined oven tray. Brush each pie with a little beaten egg and top with the remaining grated cheddar.
  10. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with salad or cold the next day.