Fish Pie Baked Potatoes

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

4 baking potatoes, scrubbed

125g / 4½ oz salted butter

50g / 1¼ oz cheddar, finely grated

300ml / 10 fl.oz milk

Bay leaf

250g/ 9 oz fish pie mix (mix of salmon, white fish and smoked fish)

200g / 7 oz raw prawns, peeled

70g / 2½ oz plain flour

100ml / 3½ fl.oz white wine (optional)

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp chives, finely chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

2. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork and sprinkle with a little salt. Bake for 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and leave them to cool enough so that you can handle them. Leave the oven on.

3. Scoop out the potato flesh into a bowl, leaving a 1cm (1⁄2in) potato shell. Mash the potato flesh with 50g (13⁄4oz) of the butter and mix in the grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

4. Place a saucepan over a medium heat and add the milk, bay leaf and black peppercorns. Bring to the boil, add the fish and prawns, reduce the heat to low and poach for 4–5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fish to a plate and discard the bay leaf and peppercorns.

5. Place a clean saucepan over a low heat and melt the remaining butter, then whisk in the flour to make a thick paste or roux and cook for 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the poaching milk and continue whisking until you reach a smooth consistency.

6. Next, whisk in the white wine and then simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the mustard and chives, followed by the fish and prawns. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the fish and sauce into the potato shells and top with the mashed potato and cheese mixture. Place them on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes until piping hot and the cheesy mash is golden.

7. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped chives and a generous twist of freshly ground black pepper.