Butter Pie

Butter pie is a traditional savoury pie that originated in the North West of England, particularly in Lancashire. It is a simple and hearty dish made with a pastry crust filled with a mixture primarily consisting of potatoes and onions, along with butter and sometimes cream.
The mixture is then placed inside a pastry crust, which can be either shortcrust or puff pastry, and baked until golden and cooked through. Eaten pickled red cabbage or beetroot.
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Pie dish 30cm/12" if halving quantity use an 20cm/8" dish

Ingredients
  

Shortcrust pastry

  • 400 g cold butter cut into cubes
  • 800 g plain flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 100 ml water

Filling

  • 1 kg potatoes Maris piper recommended
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 2 onions
  • 250 g butter
  • Salt and pepper

Egg wash

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp water or milk

Instructions
 

Pastry

  • Rub the butter into the flour and salt with your fingertips until the butter has broken down and evenly mixed through the flour.
  • Add two beaten eggs and water then knead together until it forms a dough.
  • Divide the dough into roughly ⅔ and ⅓. Wrap in parchment paper and leave in fridge for 30 minutes.

Filling

  • Peel the potatoes and slice. Boil with plenty of water and 
the stock cube, until they are just cooked but hold their shape (about 8 minutes). Drain off the water and keep warm.
  • Peel and slice the onions. Melt half of the butter in a pan and gently cook the sliced onions until soft.
  • Lightly mix together the cooked potatoes and onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Baking

  • While the potato mixture is cooling down, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
  • Grease your pie dish with a little butter. Roll out the larger piece of pastry then line the dish with the pastry.
  • Line with baking parchment then pour in baking beans. Bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool down a bit. Remove baking beans.
  • Adjust the oven temperature to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas mark 5
  • Fill with the potato and onion filling and thinly slice the last of the butter on top.
  • Cover the filling with the smaller piece of rolled out dough and crimp the edges tight with your fingers. Make 4 small slash holes in the pastry and decorate with small shapes made from pastry off-cuts
  • Mix the egg and water/milk very well. Brush the egg wash over the top pastry. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown on top.

Alternative Puff pastry top

  • If using puff pastry for the top, adjust the oven temperature to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7 and bake for 15 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Scroll to Top