Goodwill Pie - The Hug on a Plate

 

There is just something so quintessentially winter about this, and so I've decided to nickname it The Hug on a Plate!

Before we step into December and my trilogy of Christmas bakes commences, let's veg out! Delivering what its namesake promises to a fine art, the Goodwill Pie is a stonker of a meal and there's just something, I find, magical about cutting it open and seeing all those colours. 

Enjoy with a plate of pickled red cabbage, a hearty red, clad in your PJ's with a festive movie on the box that will provide you with an accompanying hug to the one the Goodwill Pie just gave you. It's the only thing that will make sense. And you know you know it. You heard it here first. 

Time required - 2 hours 40 minutes (40 mins prep, 2 hours cooking)

Ingredients

For the pastry

- 600g plain flour

- 1 teaspoon salt

- half teaspoon baking powder

- 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme leaves

- 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary leaves

- 200g unsalted butter, diced and at room temp

- 250ml cold water

For the filling

- 3 sweet potatoes, cubed

- 4 peeled beetroots, cubed

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 3 parsnips cut into finger shapes 

- 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme leaves

- 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary leaves

- 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh sage leaves

- 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

- 2 knobs of unsalted butter

- zest of one orange

- zest and juice of one lemon

- 1 tablespoon honey

- 2 leeks finely sliced

- 1 teaspoon of nutmeg

- 200g cheese, any flavour will do and finely slice like discs 

- 1 egg, whisked

Method

1. Make your pastry by popping your flour, salt, baking powder and herbs into a mixing bowl and combine well. Add your butter and with your hands, mix until it forms a consistency that resembles breadcrumbs. Add your water in three stages to ensure it's not too moist and knead it until it is a beautifully smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and pop in the fridge to chill. 

2. Preheat your oven to fan 200 degrees / conventional 220 degrees / gas mark 7. Roast the sweet potatoes for one hour until soft, and at the same time pop your beetroots with the oil in a separate pan and cover with foil and roast also for an hour. Take the foil off at the last 10 minutes. Put your parsnips in a tin with the herbs, garlic, butter, orange zest and zest & juice of lemon and honey and cover with foil. Roast for 45 mins, removing the foil 10 mins prior. You'll need to organise your timings so that all three are ready at exactly the same time. 

3. With a little extra oil and butter, cook the leeks for about 5-7 minutes, then remove from the heat. Once the sweet potatoes are cool, mash them up with a knob of butter and the nutmeg. Roll your pastry to the thickness of a one pound coin and line your cooking dish, making sure it hangs well over the edge of your dish and that you have enough to cover the top. 

4. Begin to layer your Goodwill Pie. Begin with the leeks, then half of the cheese, the beetroot, the remaining cheese, the parsnips and lastly the sweet potato. Cover your pie with the remaining pastry and be creative! Make a decorative top either with leaves or berries, or twist the top. Brush with the whisked egg. 

5. Now lower your oven to fan 180 degrees / conventional 200 degrees / gas mark 6. Bake your Goodwill Pie for up to 40 minutes, until the surface is golden brown. Leave to cool for 10-20 mins, then either remove from the dish/tin, and enjoy! 

J xx