Steak and Stout Pot Pies

You know how some people have therapy dogs that they put charming little vests on and cart around to make their world, and really all of the world a better and more peaceful place?  I have therapy pie.  

No vests.  Certainly nowhere near as adorable as a tiny Chihuahua or a friendly-faced labrador… but my goodness, the calm they inspire is second to none.  

These pot pies are inspired by a few things (besides my need for therapy): 

•  Last year’s trip to London has me dreaming every few weeks about warm, savory, meaty pies with flakey pie crust.  

•  I have a bonkers recipe for a double curst Chicken Pot Pie which miiiight be the best things I’ve ever made, and I’m always trying to out-do myself.  

•  It’s winter in our world and, admittedly… in New Orleans this week it’s pretty warm… but my mind and body still know that it’s January and it’s time for warmth and carbs and New Year juice cleanse be damned.  

Also FANTASTIC:  these little dreamers can be made in individual ramekins and can be frozen before or after they’re baked for future Winter company and comforts.  

Like all good things, we’ll start with a simple buttermilk pie crust.

You know, I think this dish would also be pretty great with store-bought, all-butter puff pastry.  For when you’re feeling both lazy and indulgent.  Those two go hand in hand.

But otherwise, break some cold butter up into some flour.  Simple. 

Add some buttermilk and shimmy the flour, butter, sugar, and salt into a round disk.  

If you need some more coaching, and that’s totally understandable:  Five Tips To Making All-Butter Pie Crust because I believe in you and you believe in you. 

Set the pie crust aside in the fridge to chill and rest.  While the dough chills… let’s make this filling! 

Bacon.  

We’ll start this layered and delicious filling by crisping bacon, rendering the fat and adding flavor.  

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper coat chuck steak cubes.  It’s nice to season every layer as this pie comes together. 

In addition to the steak we’re also working with loads of sliced cremini mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion.  

Sweet potatoes, fresh herbs, dark stout beer, and cornstarch for thickening. 

The seasoned steak cubes will brown on all sides in the rendered bacon fat.  We’re not cooking the steak all the way through, just browning for flavor.  

Once browned it’s taken from the pan and placed in a bowl.  

Next up!  Mushrooms.  

The mushrooms are cooked in the rendered bacon fat that the beef was browned in.  High heat, salt and pepper, letting some of the liquid cook out of the mushrooms until they brown to golden.

And into the beef they go.  

See, not all of these elements brown at the same time, so they each need their own quality time in the pan.  It’s worth the effort, I promise I do. 

Because the mushroom soak up and then release moisture as they brown, we’re going to add more as we cook our vegetables.  

Using the same ol’ dirty pan (it’s flavor, not dirt) we’ll add canola oil and then the chopped onions.  

Celery and peeled + sliced carrots, too.  The essentials for base flavor and sweetness.  

A peeled and cubes sweet potato is added to the mixture and the whole shebang is tossed over heat to combine and soften ever so slightly.

To the softened vegetables we’ll add the browned steak and mushrooms.  All is one, plus any of the juices that might have accumulated on the bottom of the beef bowl. 

Remember we cooked that bacon?  

Let’s get that in the pan too! 

We’ll also stir in chopped fresh thyme and parsley.  Toss to incorporate it all. 

Remember, at this point, the meat isn’t cooked through and the vegetables are still crisp.  That’s right.  We’re on the right road (and it smells delicious!). 

To the hot hot pan we’ll add a good 1/2 cup of dark, frothy beer.  I chose Guinness because I think it’s the best+ most delicious choice and the Internet tells me that the other cans of Guinness can be used as a hair rinse and I’m all about it. 

After the beer deglazes the pan, we’ll add the warm beef broth.  

We want this to be soupy enough to cover the beef cubes and vegetables and set to simmer, covered, to tenderize the meat and soften the vegetables.  Just over an hour.  

We’ll want to thicken the soupy bits of the stew.  Place cornstarch in a small bowl and stir in some of the simmering liquid.  Stir away any lumps and return the cornstarch mixture to the whole beef mixture.  As the beef stew simmers in the oven, the sauce will thicken slightly. 

Spoon into large 1-cup ramekins and cool slightly. 

You could also add the filling to a pie dish if you don’t want to make individual pies. 

Time for the crust!  

After it’s chilled in the fridge for at least an hour, it’s rolled to a 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured work surface. 

Find a round that fits over your ramekins.

I used large 1-cup oven-safe ramekins.  They’re about 5-inches across so I found the lid to my flour jar and used it as a round cutter for my pot pie tops.  Pie baking is part creativity.  Whatcha got? 

I used a small biscuit cutter to cut a small round hole in the center.

This will serve as my vent hole.  If you prefer to make small slits across your pot pies, go for it!  I’ve found that it’s easiest to do before you place the crust across the ramekins.  

Tuck the crust inside the ramekins.  They’re each filled with about 3/4 cup beef stew filling. 

Brush with a bit of buttermilk or a beaten egg to help encourage browning  in the oven. 

And sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper. 

The pies will be baked until the crust is browned and puffed slightly and the insides are lightly simmering. 

Basically until your kitchen smells so good you just can’t stand it anymore.

If you’d like to save the pies for a future date, they can easily be frozen assembled, before or after they’re baked.

When baking from the freezer, bake covered with foil until the last 20 minutes be better brown the crust. 

Remember, all the insides are cooked, we’re just looking to thaw the insides (if you’re baking from frozen) and brown the crust to delicious. 

Photos with Jon Melendez. 

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