Make the kids this amazing comfort food side dish, of cheese and mashed potato pie. To go with their dinner tonight. They will love you for it!
Kay made this dish based on childhood memories, of one of her favourite 80's school dinner side dishes. It has now become the most asked for family recipe in our house.
How to make cheese and mashed potato pie?
There is not much to it, we will show you how to make this cheesy mashed potato bake.
Check out the video below for a step by step guide or jump straight to the recipe card for all the details.
Jump to RecipeFeel free to continue reading for more cooking tips.
Simply make a batch of mashed potatoes, once the potatoes are soft enough for mashing, drain them and leave to air dry.
Add milk and mustard into the pan to mash the potatoes with.
Whilst the potatoes for the mash are boiling, gently fry the onions on a medium low heat. Until soft & golden.
What cheese to use?
It is best to use a medium to mature cheddar to give a nice strong flavour to the mashed potato bake.
You can use any cheese, which is good for melting! Such as swiss, jack, gruyere, or gouda. The choice is up to you!
Mash to your desired texture, bare in mind most children like a nice smooth mash!
Grease your casserole dish before adding the cheesy mashed potatoes, this helps make it easier to remove when serving.
Pile the gooey, smooth cheesy mash into the greased casserole dish.
Add yet more cheese on top, you can use a different type to what you mashed in if desired? Top with onions and bake in the oven until golden on top.
For this cheese and potato bake recipe, we use crispy onions as a topping. See below for other mashed potato bake topping ideas.
Bake on the top shelf of a preheated oven (220°C/ 200°C fan / Gas mark 7 / 425°F) for about 15 minutes.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, this cheese and potato pie is so easy to prepare ahead.
Keep it covered in the fridge until ready to reheat.
Cooking in a preheated oven at 220°C/ 200°C fan / Gas mark 7 / 425°F for about 20-25 minutes.
Alternative toppings for cheese and potato pie
Why not mix it up, try adding a topping of sliced tomatoes instead. Or add breadcrumbs to make a nice crispy golden topping.
If you have a fussy eater in the family, putting the onions on top, makes them easy to remove when serving!
Of course, if everyone likes onions, you could chop them smaller and mix them in with the mashed potato and cheese pie.
Alternatively, make the dish more filling and meaty by adding fried chopped bacon and onions in with the cheesy mash. It can then be served as a main meal with some vegetables.
The gloriously gooey cheesy mash can be served as it is or with any meat or poultry, vegetables, or baked beans.
We served ours up with air fryer sausages and petit pois peas. The kids would eat this every night if they had it their way!
Also makes a great addition to a roast dinner spread. Why not make our Easy Onion Gravy, to pour over the top!
How to store and reheat leftovers?
If you have any leftovers, simply store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat the cheese and potato pie in the microwave until hot throughout.
📖 Step by Step Recipe
Cheese and Mashed Potato Pie
Ingredients
- 1200 grams Potatoes (6 medium/large potatoes) - suitable for mashing (maris piper are our favourite)
- 120 ml Milk (½ cup) - any varity (we use semi-skimmed)
- 1 teaspoon English Mustard
- 250 gram Cheese (2 cups) - medium - mature cheddar is best for flavour.
- 1 Onion
- 1 tablespoon oil or butter - ½ for frying onion + ½ for greasing dish
- Salt & Pepper
Optional extras or alternatives
- 6 slices Smoked Bacon - chopped & fried to add into mash
- 2 large Tomatoes - sliced for topping instead of onion
- 3 tablespoon Breadcrumbs - to sprinkle on top for extra crunch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C/ 200°C fan / Gas mark 7 / 425°F.Chop the potatoes into even-sized chunks. Place in a large saucepan. Add just enough water to just cover them. Add salt to the water.
- Bring to the boil on high heat, then turn the heat down to a gentle boil for about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add sliced onion rings into a pan with oil or butter. Fry on medium-low heat.
- Cook until soft and golden.
- When the potato is soft enough for mashing, drain and leave to air dry, clean out the pan. Add milk and mustard into the pan and warm up whilst stirring on low heat.
- Add potatoes to the milk and start mashing with a masher.
- Add ½ of the grated cheese (125g/1cup) and continue to mash over low heat
- Mash until cheese has melted and the mash is lump-free. Optional- if you want to add bacon or onions into the mash you can stir it in now
- Prepare the casserole dish by spreading butter or oil all over the bottom and sides with a kitchen tissue.
- Pile the mashed potato into the casserole dish. Flatten down with the back of a spoon.
- Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Top with fried onion rings. Alternatively, top with tomatoes or breadcrumbs.
- Bake on the top shelf of a preheated oven (220°C/ 200°C fan / Gas mark 7 / 425°F) for about 15 minutes.
- Remove when the cheese has melted and turned golden ready to serve.
Video
Nutrition
Does anyone else remember this British old-school dinner recipe? Hope your children love it as much as I did at school? I still love it now!
Why not check out our Old School Butterscotch Tart recipe for another nostalgic school recipe to try.
We have plenty more 80's school recipes to come! Check out this buzzfeed article for more!
More British Recipes
Looking for more cheese recipes? You will love our Cheese and Bacon wraps or cheesy chips. Or go extra cheesy with our ploughman's lunch.
Jackie F says
Just cooked this fr my tea, I put sliced tomatoes on top and I had it with lamb chops.OMG it was so good and I will be having it again very soon. Thank you for the recipe x
Luke and Kay says
Hi Jackie, thank you so much for trying out our cheese and mashed potato pie! We're so glad you enjoyed it and even added your own twist with sliced tomatoes. That sounds delicious! We hope you try it again soon. Happy cooking! 🙂
Jackie says
Just cooked this fr my tea, I put sliced tomatoes on top and I had it with lamb chops.OMG it was so good and I will be having it again very soon. Thank you for the recipe x
Ramona says
This potato and cheese pie would make a delicious side to my planned bbq on Sunday! Thanks for sharing!
Luca - Ruoka on valmis says
Fast to prepare, easy to make, and yummy to eat. What else for a perfect combination?
Brianna says
Potatoes, cheese and crispy onions! Comfort food doesn't get much better.
Luke says
Thanks, Brianna
You are right this is perfect comfort food 🙂
Enjoy!!
Amy says
Oh yum! Having some friends over tonight and was looking for a side that was nice and hot cause this winter is freezing! The kids will smash this. I can already see it. Love topping it off with onions. Nice and caramelised and I bet so sweet.
Luke says
Thanks, Amy
this is a perfect side dish, I'm sure the kids will love it, ours certainly did lol!!
Enjoy 🙂
Jill says
This is definitely all my favorite foods in one! SO good!! Really love the onions on top!
Luke says
Thanks, Jill for the comment and rating 🙂
Im glad you liked our cheese and potato pie, the onion rings make the perfect topping 😉
Robin says
I can see why this recipe is a classic. You have taken three of my favorite foods - potatoes, cheese and onion rings - and combined them into an unforgettable dish.
Kay says
Sorry for the late reply, we have been away 🙂
Really glad you like the cheese and mashed potato pie, this is all our kid's favourites!!
Enjoy 😉
Lesli Schwartz says
I must say, this looks amazing! Is it kind of like bangers and mash? 😜 I love cheesy potatoes and this is definitely an elevated version!
Kay says
Thank you, Lesli
This recipe is our kids favourite 🙂
Hope you enjoy the cheese and potato pie, let us know how it goes?
Gillian+Ratford says
Looks amazing kids will love this filling and cheap meal
Luke says
Hi Gillian
Thanks for the comment, hope your kids love this recipe as much as our kids do 🙂