Guiness Beef Pie

As Madam Badwolf is off on an extended tour of duty as Grandmother, I find myself fending for myself. While this might be a reason for door-dash, I think not.

Autumn has started to fall; we swing from 85 in the day to 45 at night, and my tastes swing from salads to much heartier fare.

In one of my “me time” adventures, I returned to the world of bread baking (more on that later), and found myself in possession of several unused bottles of Guinness Stout. Now, outside the apparent and straightforward answer (I deal with AWS, so apparent and straightforward answers do not appeal to me.), I decided a hearty beef stew would best match my beer.

Poking around in the freezer, I find a package of stew meat and a sheet of puff pastry, and the inspiration of a beef stew pie comes to me. A hearty, rich beef stew, cooked, thence placed into a cast iron skillet, topped with puff pastry, and baked until the pastry puffs into a lovely crisp top with the gravy of the stew oozing out and about. Very similar to a beef pie I enjoyed on the banks of the Thames on a bright September afternoon. I’ll not do the traditional chips as a side but include the potatoes into the stew, along with some carrots, celery, onion, and green peas.

From Wikipedia:

A steak pie is a traditional meat pie served in Britain. It is made from stewing steak and beef gravy, enclosed in a pastry shell. Sometimes mixed vegetables are included in the filling. The dish is often served with “chunky chips” (thickly sliced potatoes fried, sometimes in beef dripping).

Steak pies are also available from chip shops, served with normal chips, referred to in Scotland as a steak pie supper. A steak pie supper is usually accompanied by salt and vinegar; however, around Edinburgh, a combination of spirit vinegar and brown sauce, known simply as “sauce” or “chippie sauce”, is popular. The precise proportions of each ingredient are unique to each take-away. Some Fish and Chip shops, particularly in Scotland, heat precooked frozen pies by dropping them into the deep fat fryer.

Beef Stew with Guinness

Full of tender beef, hearty veggies, and a rich tomato and stout gravy.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Course Dinner, Main Course, Stew

Cuisine American, British

Servings 4

Calories 663 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Heavy Bottom Stock Pot / Roaster

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tbsp Olive oil Basic stuff
• 2 lb Chuck Roast Trimmed, and cubed to bite size
• 1 Ea Onion Medium, Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic Peeled, minced
• 1/3 Cup AP Flour
• 1 Bottle Good Beer Guinness, in this case
• 3 ea Carrots Peeled, cubed to bite size
• 1 lb Waxy Potatoes Yukon Gold, washed, cubed to bite size
• 1 ea Bay Leaf
• 1 tsp Thyme Dried
• 1/2 lb Mushrooms Washed, Cubed to bite size, (optional)
• Salt and Pepper To Taste
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 3 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 3 Cups Beef Stock Make your own, or use low sodium, high quality stock (demiglace)
• 2 stalks Celery Washed, cubed to bite size

Instructions

 

• Season and flour the beef
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large stockpot / heavy bottom roaster over high heat
• Add half of the beef to the pan and sear, flipping the meat once it has developed a good brown sear on the bottom, then repeating on multiple sides. Transfer the beef to a clean plate.
• Add an additional one tablespoon of oil to the pot, add the remaining beef, sear, and transfer to a clean plate.
• Reduce heat to medium-high and add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the stockpot.
• Add onion and mushrooms (if used), and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Looking for a decent color on the onions and very little moisture from the mushrooms.
• Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
• Pour in the Guinness and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to lift the fond.
• Stir in the beef stock, carrots, potatoes, celery, tomato paste, bay leaf, Worcestershire, dried thyme, and the cooked beef (along with any of its accumulated juices).
• Cover the pot and simmer on low for 1 1/2 hours, occasionally stirring, until the beef is completely tender and the potatoes are soft.
• Remove the bay leaf, taste, season, and balance the flavor.

Notes

Some variations:

Use bacon drippings in place of olive oil (no bacon fond, just the clear drippings)

Add additional vegetables, parsnips, peas, etc.

 

Serving options:

I’ll always side this with fresh bread and butter, passing a bit of grated horseradish or minced jalapeno on the side.  I have been known to drizzle with vinegar from pickled peppers.

When dealing with leftovers, one can serve over a mixed mash or a small pasta.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 663kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 53gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 156mgSodium: 843mgPotassium: 1971mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 374IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 110mgIron: 8mg

Keyword Beef, Braised, Stew

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!