Mini Wood Pigeon Pie #2: Pigeon and Mushroom Pot Pie with Cheesy Roasties

 

Pigeon and mushroom pie with cheesy roasties

This is the second post in an intended series of six featuring recipes for mini, single serving pigeon pies. This recipe sees a tasty combination of pigeon breast and chestnut mushroom cooked in a small dish topped with crispy and golden puff pastry. While the accompaniments are of course infinitely variable depending upon individual taste and availability of ingredients, these cheesy roast potatoes and nutmeg buttered sprouts complemented the pie extremely well.

Cook Time

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 1 hour

Ready in: 1 hour 15 min

Yields: 1 serving

Pigeon breast, chestnut mushroom and onion

Ingredients

• 8 baby new potatoes
• Salt
• 1 skinless wood pigeon breast fillet, finely diced
• 1/2 large chestnut mushroom, wiped clean with damp kitchen paper and finely diced
• 3 teaspoons finely diced white onion (2 teaspoons for pie and 1 for cheesy potatoes)
• Black pepper
• 2 teaspoons pigeon stock (recipe instructions found on Hunter's Pie post)
• 2 ounces (50g) puff pastry
• Flour for rolling pastry
• Beaten egg for glazing pastry
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons grated/shredded Scottish cheddar cheese
• 8 small Brussels sprouts, or as required
• Little bit of butter
• Generous pinch ground nutmeg

Method

Wash the new potatoes but leave them whole and unpeeled. Add them to a pot of cold, lightly salted water and put the pot on to a high heat until the water just starts to boil. Reduce the heat and maintain a gentle simmer for 20 minutes.

Drain the potatoes when done, return to the empty pot and set aside to cool.

Combining pigeon, mushroom and onion pie filling

Put your oven on to preheat to 200C/Gas Mark 6/400F.

Add the pigeon, mushroom and onion to a small glass or stone bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix well by hand to fully combine.

Filling is added to pie dish

Put the pie filling into a small, ovenproof dish about 5" x 4" x 1.5" (12.5cm x 10cm x 3.5cm) and spread it out to an even depth. Drizzle with the 2 teaspoons of made in advance pigeon wild game stock.

Pastry topping is added to pigeon and mushroom combination

Lightly dust a clean, dry surface with flour and roll out the pastry to about the size required to cover the pie filling. Sit it on top of the filling and gently tuck it in all around. Glaze the pastry with beaten egg and cut a "+" shaped steam vent in the centre. Put the dish on to a baking tray and into the oven for 30 minutes.

When the pie is almost ready, half or quarter (depending upon size) the unpeeled new potatoes and add to an ovenproof dish just large enough to contain them. Drizzle with the olive oil.

Take the pie from the oven and cover with foil to help keep it warm. Set aside. Add the potatoes to the oven and turn up the heat to 220C/Gas Mark 8/450F. Cook for 20 minutes.

Seasoned grated cheese and onion

Add the cheese and remaining onion to a bowl. Season with black pepper and stir well to combine.

Put a pot of cold, salted water on to reach a rolling boil. Add the sprouts and reduce the heat to achieve a simmer for 10 minutes before draining through a colander at your sink and returning to the empty pot.

Oven roasted baby potatoes

Take the potatoes from the oven. You should see that the tops have crisped up quite nicely.

Cheese and onion is scattered over roast potatoes

Scatter the cheese and onion combination over the potatoes and return to the oven for 5 further minutes, just to fully melt the cheese and turn it all gooey.

Butter and nutmeg are added to drained sprouts

Add a little butter to the sprouts and the pinch of ground nutmeg. Gently swirl the pot until the butter has melted and fully coats the sprouts.

Pigeon and mushroom pot pie with cheesy roasties and sprouts

Remove the foil covering from the pie and lift the dish to a square serving plate (remember the dish will still be very hot!) Spoon the cheesy potatoes and sprouts alongside and serve.