My hero the Heidi Pie

I love pies. Especially when they're of the British, savoury variety. Not that there's anything wrong with American pie.  In fact, I've baked many a homely apple and blackberry pie, and eaten it. But with the weather getting autumnal, it's buttery puff pastry lids, cheesy mash toppings and crusty hot water pies I'm after. Steak and Guinness pie, shepherd's pie, pork pie - I love you all.

Having said that, I haven't baked that many pies myself. Why would I, when the fabulous Pie Minister is around? When living in London I'd just rock up at their Borough Market stall and get my fix. I tried many, but always reverted to my one true love, the Heidi Pie. No, I don't know why they call it that, either. There isn't anything remotely Alpine about the dish. It's a bit girly though: it's vegetarian and contains sweet potato, goat's cheese and spinach.

Though I've left the UK three years ago, it's only now that I suddenly developed a craving for a Heidi Pie. Inexplicably it's days before I'm going to the Pie Minister's hometown, Bristol and I will be able to buy all the Heidi Pies I can carry. But it. Cannot. Wait. I'm making my own. This is the result. (I'll get some proper ones next week and let you know how genuine the taste is...)

My hero the Heidi Pie

Makes 6

Serves 2-3

For the filling:

1 medium sweet potato, peeled

2 fat garlic cloves, unpeeled

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

1 small red onion, finely chopped

100 g chopped spinach, defrosted

3-4 tbsp soft goat's cheese

For the dough:

25ml milk

75g pure vegetable fat

225g strong white flour

1/2 sea salt

optional: 1/2 tsp mustard powder

optional: 1/2 tsp mixed spice

2 egg yolks

Extra: 6-hole muffin tin

Preheat the oven to 220˚C/450˚F. Cut the sweet potato into wedges and place into a baking dish. Add the garlic, season and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the sweet potato is soft.

In the meantime, sweat the onion in a little oil until soft. Put the onion and sweet potato into a bowl and squeeze the roasted garlic into the bowl. Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the spinach and add to the bowl with the goat's cheese. Mash it all together with a fork.

Turn the oven temperature down to 180˚C/350˚F. Gently heat up the milk with 50ml water and the vegetable fat. Sift all the dry ingredients over a large bowl. I added some mixed spice for a sweet touch with really brings out the sweetness of the potato. Feel free to leave this and the mustard powder out if you like your pastry a little more plain. Add 1 egg yolk to the bowl and mix.

Once the fat has melted, turn up the heat and bring just to the boil. Pour into the bowl and mix the lot together into a dough ball. Divide the dough into 3 balls and put 1 ball aside. Divide the 2 balls into 3 parts each. Press the still warm dough into the muffin tin - 1 ball in each hole. Use you fingers to push the dough into the tin and up the sides.

Divide the sweet potato filling between the pies. Press down with a teaspoon to fill them right up. Brush the dough with egg yolk, then roll out the remaining dough and, using a glass, cut out rounds large enough to fit as lids.

Place the lids on top, pinch the edges together to seal and brush the tops with egg yolk. Slash a hole in each lid and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then transfer the pies from the muffin tin to a baking sheet and bake for another 20 minutes until the pies are crispy and golden all over.

Lovely with mash and gravy!