Steak and Guinness Pie

In a large skillet, sauté the onion and garlic in a bit of oil until they’ve softened, about 10 minutes.  Add in the butter, carrots, celery, parsnips and mushrooms and continue cooking for another 10 or so minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate large Dutch Oven or large, non-stick pan – brown the beef in batches in a bit of oil, sprinkling it with salt and pepper and the rosemary.  When it’s all browned, add all vegetables and their juices and browned bits to the meat, sprinkle it all with the flour and stir until no flour is visible.

Pour the Guinness over everything and bring it all to a simmer, then add enough beef broth to cover the meat.  At this point, Jamie puts the cover on and bakes it at 375 for about 2 1/2 hours, taking it out and stirring it a couple of times during baking.  I’ve done it that way, but occasionally I need to speed things up a bit so I keep it at a steady simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring regularly and occasionally adding more broth – I usually use the whole litre, plus we really like the gravy.  Either way, the beef ends up perfectly tender and the gravy should be quite rich and dark.  If it’s not thick enough for your liking, you can always simmer it longer to reduce it.  Everything up to this point can be made a day or 2 ahead and refrigerated before baking.

If you’re baking it straight away, you’re either all ready with your full Dutch Oven, or, you need to grease a large casserole dish – (I often use my big lasagna pan for more crust surface area) – and roll out the puff pastry, connecting sheets if required, so that you have enough to cover the top of your dish.  Remove the filling from the heat (or take it out of the oven), add in as much cheddar as you’d like and give it a good stir before pouring it all into the prepared casserole, or leaving it in the Dutch Oven.  If it’s cold, bring it to room temperature, then add the cheese and fill the casserole.

Cover with the puff pastry and remember that it doesn’t have to look perfect, Jamie says ‘go for rustic’.  Lightly score the pastry with a sharp knife – being careful to not cut through to the filling – and then brush it all with the beaten egg.  Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes until the pastry is nice and brown and the filling is bubbling throughout.

Serve with some cooked snap peas and regular peas – there won’t be any leftovers.