Jack Monroe's Cornish fisherman's pie

Friday 21 February at 5:36pm

Jack Monroe is in the kitchen with a Friday night fish showstopper you can make on a budget!

INGREDIENTS

800g white potatoes with skin

1 large leek, finely sliced

2 sticks celery, finely chopped

100g streaky bacon, finely chopped

1 tbsp cooking oil

700g mixed fish, chopped into chunks

400ml whole milk

2 cloves

1 tsp mixed dried herbs

25g flour

25ml oil

1 tsp english mustard or whatever you have

Plenty of black pepper

120g Cornish Yarg, grated

100g butter, cubed

METHOD

First heat your oven to 180C and grab your final dish
Finely dice your potatoes and place in a pan of generously salted water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes until very soft. Strain and set to one side.
While the potatoes are simmering, finely slice your leeks and celery and add to a second pan with the bacon and a tablespoon of oil. Fry on a medium heat until soft.
In a third pan - pop your fish in a large pan along with the cloves, herbs and pepper. Cover with milk, and poach gently on a medium-low heat - you don’t want the milk to boil over and spoil, so err on the side of gentle here. There’s a lot going on at the same time here but it all comes together at once, so try to keep your wits about you!
Mix your flour and oil with the mustard and a little of the hot poaching milk to make a paste, beating to a smooth liquid. Pour over the fish, stir in gently so as not to break it up too much. Add the veg and bacon.
Drain the potatoes and mash thoroughly with the butter and half the cheese. Season generously with pepper.
Spoon the fish, bacon, veg and sauce into your dish. Add most of the remaining cheese. Spoon the mash over the top, and scatter any remaining cheese on top. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes, until the mash is crisp in places and the cheese is golden.