G F Friendly
Beef in Beer Pie
a rich, tasty beef pie with a crisp shortcrust pastry topping
The beer is what makes this special - pale ale, lager or stout is your choice.
350-400g diced beef
1 medium potato
335ml beer (I used premium lager)
1 Oxo cube (or 1 tsp beef stock powder)
1 Tbsp brown gravy powder
½ tsp salt (optional)
1 cup water
200-300g shortcrust pastry
see recipe R56 - includes GF method (reduce ingredient quantities as appropriate)
Put the diced beef in a sauce pan, pour on the beer; then cover and allow to marinate for 2 hours. Peel the potato, slice lengthways (about 1cm thick) and boil or microwave until just softening. Leave in the water until the meat and pastry are ready.
Crumble in the Oxo cube, or add the stock powder to the beef in beer pan and stir to combine. Bring this to the boil, turn down and simmer partially covered for 1 hour; checking occasionally to ensure the liquid doesn't dry out. Add extra water if necessary. Once cooked (give the meat a poke to ensure it is tender) use a strainer spoon to transfer the beef to a suitable oven-proof pie dish. Allow a few minutes for the marinade to cool a bit and add the cup of water. Mix the gravy powder with a little cold water to form a thin liquid and stir this in. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring constantly until thick; then pour about half over the beef cubes. Now place the potato slices on top to cover the meat and gravy.
At this point, make up the pastry - it always works better to leave doing this until just before the pie goes in the oven - place on top, crimping the edges to seal it to the sides of the dish; then poke a few holes to release the steam, brush with milk, and bake on 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional) for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Check after 15 minutes, and if it seems to be browning too quickly, turn down the heat a little to prevent burning. While this is cooking, add extra water to the leftover gravy to a consistency that suits you, and reheat while stirring.
Serves up to 4 with vegetables of choice. Freezing not recommended
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