How to Make Leek and Chicken Cobbler

Filling

50g (1 3/4 oz) butter

1 kg (2 lb) skinless chicken thigh fillets, sliced into bite-sized pieces

3 large leeks, washed well and finely sliced

1 T plain flour

1 C (8 fl oz) chicken stock

1 C (8 fl oz) cream or milk

1 T mustard of your choice (or to taste)

Topping

400g (13 oz) potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 1/3 C (5 1/2 oz) SR flour

pinch salt

1/4 C (1 oz) grated mature cheddar

100g (3 1/2 oz) cold butter, grated or finely chopped

milk, to glaze

Method

1. Melt butter in a large, oven-proof casserole dish over medium heat. Saute leeks until soft. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Sprinkle flour over chicken mix and stir over heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in stock and cream/milk. Return to heat and stir until mixture boil and thickens. Add mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Preheat the oven to moderately hot 200 degrees C (400 F).

3. To make the topping, boil potatoes until tender and mash until. Stir through cheese and butter and keep beating with a wooden spoon or potato masher until smooth. Stir through flour; you may need to use your hands to mix it through and make a smooth dough.

4. Roll or press out dough on a floured surface until 1 cm (1/2") thick. Cut into rounds with a 6cm (2 1/2") pastry cutter, re-rolling and cutting to use all the dough. Arrange the rounds overlapping on the top of the cooled filling and brush with milk. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is heated through and the topping golden.

This is an adaptation of a recipe found in Cooking: A Commonsense Guide by Murdoch Books.

In this recipe you can use any combination of vegetables you like, though I do like it with some leeks at least. Vegetarians can skip the chicken and add extra vegetables of their own choice.

image from allposters.com