This steak and potato pie is one of the most comforting pies you’ll ever make!
Typically a steak and potato pie would use beef and potatoes as the filling. However, today we’re going to have a bit of fun and place the potatoes on top like a potato gratin. Yes, heaven truly is a place on earth. Follow me…
potato steak pie fresh out the oven with scoop showing filling
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Steak Pie
Don’t worry, when I say ‘steak’ I don’t mean you’ve got to use expensive cuts of steak for this pie. It’s just a more general term for a chunky beef pie.
What kind of beef should I use?
Your beef selection is important. What you want is beef that’s suitable for braising/slow cooking. A good sign of this is the beef having marbled fat. This will ensure the beef stays tender over the long cooking time. Don’t use lean beef, it’ll come out dry. Full disclosure, the beef I filmed with was not optimal in terms of the meat-to-fat ratio (it’s all had access to at the time!).
Preparing the beef
Preparing the beef happens in two stages:
Slicing – you want quite large chunks. Large chunks will be more robust throughout the cooking process (they’ll break down as they cook).
Seasoning – whilst the beef will soak in some flavour from the gravy, it’s always a good idea to season the meat directly before cooking.
Frying the beef
I like to sear the beef before it simmers, just to develop a bit more flavour. You’ll want to work in batches and over a very high heat. You don’t need to cook the beef at this point, just brown the outside. Doing this will also create ‘fond’ in the base of the pot, which in turn adds more flavour to the gravy.
close up shot of steak and potato pie showing filling
This steak and potato pie is one of the most comforting pies you’ll ever make!
CourseCuisine: British Prep Time: 25minutes minutesCook Time: 3hours hours 5minutes minutesCooling time: 30minutes minutesTotal Time: 4hours hours Calories per serving:
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Large Deep Pot with Lid & Tongs
Wooden Spoon
Jug (for stock)
Medium Sized Mixing Bowl (to store cooked beef)
Large Baking Dish & Foil (mine is 12×9″ / 30x22cm)
Fine Cheese Grater (for garlic)
Small Mixing Bowl & Brush (for butter)
Ingredients:
Filling
- 1kg / 2lb Steak/Beef suitable for slow cooking (see notes)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 250g / 9oz Carrots, diced into chunks
- 1 large White Onion, roughly diced
- 2 large cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 40g / 1/4 cup Plain Flour
- 180ml / 3/4 cup Dry Red Wine (see notes)
- 840ml / 3.5 cups Beef Stock
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1x Beef Oxo Cube, crumbled (sub 1 heaped tsp Bouillon powder if you don’t have cubes)
- 2 Bay Leaves (dry or fresh)
Topping
- 1kg / 2lb Baking Potatoes,
- 3 tbsp / 45g Unsalted Butter
- 1 heaped tsp finely diced Fresh Rosemary
- 1 clove of Garlic, finely grated
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions:
Dice the beef into fairly large bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large deep heavy-based pot over high heat.
Once hot, spread out half of the beef and fry until brown all over (don’t try and cook it right through). Remove and repeat with the second batch. Don’t overcrowd the pot or the beef will steam and stew. Add more oil if needed.
Lower heat to medium-high and add the remaining 2 tbsp oil. Fry the carrot and onion until they soften and begin to very lightly brown, then fry the garlic for a further 30 seconds or so.
Lower the heat to medium and stir in the flour. Pour in the wine and give it a really good stir until it thickens to a smooth paste. Gradually add in the stock, stirring as you go to avoid lumps forming. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, Oxo cube, bay leaves and cooked beef (along with all of the resting juices).
Bring to a simmer, then pop on the lid and reduce the heat to low. Allow to gentle bubble away for 1 hour and 30 mins, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 30 mins, or until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened to a gravy-style consistency . Keep in mind it’ll thicken more in the next step. Adjust seasoning if desired.
Pour the filling into a large baking dish and allow to cool for at least 30 mins, until a skin forms across the top. Meanwhile, melt the butter and combine in a small mixing bowl with rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Very thinly slice the potatoes (approx 3-4mm or 1/8″) and pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F.
Layer 1/3 of the potatoes across the top. Brush with 1/3 of the butter, then repeat two more times, ensuring you layer the potatoes in a way that reduces as many gaps as possible.
Tightly cover in foil then bake in the oven for 40mins. Remove the foil, increase the oven temp to 200C/400F and bake for a further 20-25mins, or until the potatoes are knife tender. You can flick on the grill to brown them further if you’d like.
Allow to cool for a few mins, then serve up and enjoy!
Quick 1 min demo!