Cheese and Potato Pie, Childhood Memories!

Cheese and potato pie was ever-present on the school dinner menu as well as at home; it is essentially a cheesy mash bake, and it is awesome!

It's not refined in the slightest; it's a baked cheesy mash with a little onion, a cheesy topping, and some tomato, which is completely optional.

Cheese and Potato Bake

The sight of cheese and tattie pie on the school dinner menu or my Mom talking about it being for dinner would have filled me with delight growing up!

For some strange reason, it is a recipe that kinda slipped from my consciousness over the years. Working on my cheese and onion pie and cheese and onion pasty rekindled a load of memories, and I had to give it an itch!

It joins other childhood favourites like spam fritters, gammon, egg and chips, homemade crispy pancakes, savoury mince beef, canned corned beef hash and liver and onions, yes, I loved liver as a kid!

The cheese and potato pie I grew up with featured no pastry and no filling.

Many people use something similar to top shepherds pie or cottage pie. But as far as I am concerned, that is just wrong!

But it is still a pie, and we Brits are perfectly comfortable with being "liberal" with our food names. If you ever find yourself in rural Hungary, buy me a beer and let me explain British puddings to you!

I digress, cheese & potato pie is essentially a cheesy mashed potato bake. My US readers would probably call it a "casserole".

I call it comfort food heaven, and it's super easy to make because you do not have to mess around with pastry.

If cheese is your thing, you must check out my chicken parmo recipe! An incredibly indulgent dish of a fried breaded chicken breast covered in bechamel sauce and cheese.

Frequently Asked Questions

What sort of potatoes should I use?

This recipe is as simple as it gets! It is essentially a cheesy mash, but don't tell anyone I said that!

As with all mashed potato recipes you need floury or mealy potatoes, as my US readers would call them.

You are looking for something like King Edward, Maris Piper, Russet or Idaho.

What sort of cheese should I use?

For me, it has to be a nice, sharp, mature cheddar cheese. I have experimented with both Wensleydale and Cheshire cheese; both are pleasing in this dish, but not quite as satisfying as cheddar!

Good cheddar should have a firm texture and not be spongy.

It should be creamy but crumbly all at the same time. Most importantly, it should scream savoury with just the slightest hint of sweetness.

Can I make this in advance?

Yes, you can build this dish and place it in the fridge for 2-3 days covered with film and then bake it when you are ready.

I personally do not like freezing mashed potatoes, and that goes for this recipe too.

Do I have to use English mustard?

No, you can omit the mustard or scale it back to something a little less "pokey" if you wish. Anything from German or American mustard to Dijon or even wholegrain mustard is fine.

Serving Suggestions

Growing up this would usually be served as a main course with peas and loads of tomato ketchup.

This recipe will serve 2 as a main and 4 as a side dish. Although I reckon I would eat it all myself if left to my own devices!

I usually serve it as an indulgent side dish, and it usually gets trotted out when I make my homemade sausages.

Just to ramp up the Britishness, I tend to serve it with baked beans too!

But it is also superb with baked beans, so good in fact that it was the seed of the idea behind my fish finger pie!

But if you wanted to get all wrapped up in some serious bean cooking, then these baked beans with bacon sound incredible.

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a dish. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Hob/Stovetop.
• Oven.
• 20cm or 8" saucepan.
• 500-600ml (2 cup capacity) baking dish.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• Potato ricer or masher.
• Mixing bowl.
• Colander.
• A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.