It’s going to be a year of change this 2014. I may need to leave London after 4 beautiful years. It won’t be easy but I am ready for new adventures and I will do my best not to look back with nostalgia (the tube at the rush hour will be dearly missed).

It’s now time for resolutions. Are you setting many new goals? How many of the old resolutions are you bringing with you along your ride through 2014? I’ve got two. Number 1: To give up on impossible missions. Possibly my most cunning resolution ever since it will save me the time and energy I used to waste on unlikely goals.

(example: I will stop working on longer hair and finally pay a visit to a hairstylist for the first time in decades. Time to admit: these thin things on top of my head are made to drop on the floor and be sucked up by a relentless hover).

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Seriously speaking, it is time to focus on a few small decisions and stop complaining for not being able to be someone else (Kim Kadarshian with beautiful long hair :)).

Nothing will change. Everything will change. I’ve got a box full of disused dreams, like volunteering in a poor African village or becoming a tango dancer. New dreams are to be dreamed and hopefully brought to another level. Because I don’t want to fill another box of abandoned dreams. So this is resolution number 2: to stick with a goal with continuous dedication. Till its end.

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Mundane things now.

Here I show you some pictures of my new year’s eve. There was some meat involved too, which I did not shoot since, in general, I do not find it very appealing.  My first attempt at this Cheese, Potato and Onion Pie was a significantly tasty new entry on a menu that has never changed since I was born. The Cannonau, the most popular sardinian red wine, was strong enough to leave us inebriated quickly :). 

I adapted the recipe from the Deep-dish cheese, onion & potato pie recipe developed by “BBC GoodFood”. After reading the comments below the recipe, I realized I needed to change it slightly by par-boiling the potatoes and gently caramelizing the onions. If you own a slice machine you’ll be able to cut the potatoes as thin as potato chips like I did here to get many delicious layers of soft potatoes.

nye-0165 potatopie-0025 potatopie-0027What was on Your New Year’s Eve menu?

Print Recipe

Cheese, Potato and Onion Pie

Ingredients

  • 200 g strong cheddar coarsely grated
  • 200 ml tub crème fraîche
  • 500 g shortcrust pastry
  • 1 kg floury potatoes thinly sliced
  • 3 onions finely sliced
  • a pinch grated nutmeg
  • large pinch paprika
  • 1 egg beaten
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
  • Peel the potatoes and with a slicer machine, cut the in thins slices. Par boil them around 5 minutes in a pan with enough water to cover them all.
  • Slice the onion and stir fry then in a pan with olive oil for about 15 minutes or until crispy and brown.
  • In a small bowl, mix the grated cheddar with the crème fraîche, then set aside.
  • Meantime grease and lightly flour a ceramic or metal pie dish, or shallow cake tin, about 23cm wide. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry on a lightly floured surface until large enough to line the tin with a little overhang.
  • Place a layer of potatoes over the tart and scatter over some of the sliced onions and chunks of cheese. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and paprika. Layer over more potatoes, scatter again with more onions and cheese, then splodge over half the crème fraîche mix. Repeat with 2 more layers then finish with the remaining crème fraîche mix.
  • Roll the remaining pastry so it fits over the potatoes, lay the pastry over the top and brush with egg. Squeeze the edges together and trim with a knife. Place the pie on a baking sheet, bake for 30 mins, reduce the temperature to 180C/ fan 160C/gas 4, then carry on baking for 40 minutes until golden. Leave the pie to rest for 20 mins, then serve straight from the dish cut into slices.

 

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