Potjie Pot Pie

Method

1. Cut the chicken into 3 cm pieces and season with half the salt and the pepper. Heat the oil in a 24 cm frying pan over medium-high heat and brown the chicken for 6 min, then set it aside. It does not need to be cooked through yet.

   Add in this stepBoneless chicken thighs 300 gSalt ¼ tspBlack pepper to tasteCooking oil 1 tbsp

   medium-high heat

2. Melt the butter in the same pan, add the onion and carrot cut into 1 cm dice and the minced garlic, and cook over medium heat for 6 min until the onion is translucent. Scrape in the brown bits from the bottom as you go.

   Add in this stepButter 20 gOnion 1Carrot 1Garlic (cloves) 2

   medium heat

3. Stir in the flour and smoked paprika and cook for 1 minute, then add the stock a little at a time, stirring out any lumps. Add the chicken, the squash cut into 2 cm cubes, the quartered mushrooms and the thyme and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 min, until the squash is tender and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

   Add in this stepPlain flour 2 tbspSmoked paprika 1 tspChicken stock 300 mlButternut squash (or kabocha squash) 120 gButton mushrooms 80 gThyme sprigs 2

   medium-low heat

4. Add the green beans cut into 3 cm lengths and the cream, simmer over medium-low heat for 3 min more, then season with the remaining salt and pepper. Remove the thyme stalks and cool for 10 min. Covering hot filling melts the butter in the pastry and stops it rising. Preheat the oven to 210 °C now.

   Add in this stepGreen beans 60 gDouble cream 60 mlSalt ¼ tspBlack pepper to taste

   medium-low heat

5. Divide the filling between 2 ovenproof dishes about 12 cm across (about 400 ml), filling them four fifths full. Cut pastry rounds 2 cm wider than the dishes, brush the rims with egg, lay the pastry on top and press it firmly onto the sides. Brush the tops with egg and cut 2 or 3 small steam holes. This takes about 5 min.

   Add in this stepReady-rolled puff pastry (thawed) 160 gEgg (for glazing) 1

6. Put the dishes on a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 22 min, until the pastry is well risen and deep golden. Let stand for 5 min before serving. The filling is very hot, so take care.

   oven