A hearty yet light one-pan pie you can have ready in under an hour

You don’t need lots of time or lots of pans for this clever recipe, says Hetty McKinnon

Load your pie with the season’s finest offerings (Getty)

Loaded with the season’s finest offerings, this pie comes together in one frying pan and manages to be hearty yet light.

Leek provides a sweet and aromatic base, potatoes add body, fennel delivers an earthy note and asparagus imparts crisp freshness (you could also use broccoli or green beans). Sour cream in the base offers a slight tang and keeps the sauce light.

Be sure to chop all of your vegetables around the same size to ensure they cook evenly and are tender by the time the pastry is golden. If you like, add other seasonal vegetables like peas or fava beans in the spring, or cauliflower or Brussels sprouts in the autumn and winter (frozen vegetables work well, too).

When using supermarket-bought puff pastry, thaw it in the fridge overnight. If you don’t have an ovenproof 23 or 25cm pan, simply transfer the mixture to a similar-sized round or square baking dish.

Serves: 4 to 6

Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 leek, finely chopped into 6mm pieces

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, cored and finely diced into 6mm pieces (about 400g)

2 medium Yukon Gold or red-skinned potatoes, peeled and finely diced into 6-millimetre pieces (about 400g)

16 to 20 asparagus spears, trimmed and sliced into 6mmpieces (about 340g)

1½ tsp salt

Black pepper

2 tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

240ml vegetable stock

230g sour cream

1 bunch of chives, finely sliced (about 20g)

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

90g grated Gruyère

1 (400g) sheet puff pastry, completely thawed

1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp of water

Method:

1. Place an oven rack in the middle position, and heat oven to 235C. Line a baking tray with foil and set aside.

2. Heat a 23 or 25cm ovenproof frying pan over medium high. Add the olive oil, leek, garlic and fennel, and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, until softened. Add the potatoes, asparagus and salt, then season with black pepper and stir. Scatter with the flour and give it a quick stir to coat well. Add the stock, sour cream, chives, Dijon mustard and Gruyère, and stir until well combined. Remove from heat.

3. On a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the pastry 3 to 5cm wider than the pan. Carefully place the puff pastry over the top of the pan and trim any long edges, then, working quickly, tuck and fold in the edges of the pastry so it sits just inside the rim of the pan, to create a rough border. Brush the pastry with egg wash and carefully score the top with a few slits to allow air to escape during baking.

4. Place the pan on the baking tray and transfer to the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden and bubbling around the edges. Let sit for 10 minutes before eating.

© The New York Times