The ultimate winter warmer, serve with a mound of silky smooth mash potatoes and a pile of savoy cabbage and leek.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
What You’ll Need:
For the filling:
- 400g lamb’s liver
- 1 x 184g pack of spoiltpig smoked streaky bacon
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 150g button chestnut mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 300ml lamb or vegetable stock, hot
For the suet pastry:
- 125g self-raising flour
- 70g shredded suet
- 1 beaten egg or milk, to glaze
- Black pepper
What To Do:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C, gas 4. You will also need a 1 litre pie dish.
- Cut the liver into strips about 1cm thick. Cut the bacon into strips the same size as the liver.
- Toss the liver in the flour until lightly coated.
- Heat the oil in a heavy, deep frying pan, then quickly stir-fry the liver and bacon until lightly browned. Remove from the pan to a plate and set aside.
- Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook until lightly coloured. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for a couple of minutes, then add the thyme and stock. Bring to the boil, stirring. Return the liver and bacon to the pan and stir together.
- Spoon the mixture into the pie dish and leave to cool while making the pastry.
- For the pastry; Combine the flour and suet and a little seasoning in a mixing bowl. Stir in enough cold water, about 5 tbsp, to make a soft but not sticky dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently roll out to an oval slightly larger than the pie dish.
- Dampen the rim of the dish, then gently lift the pastry over the filling and press the pastry to the rim to seal.
- Trim off any excess pastry with a sharp knife, make a steam hole in the middle and press the back of a fork onto the pastry rim to decorate.
- Brush with the beaten egg or milk and sprinkle with black pepper.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes until golden brown, then serve hot.
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