Beef Pot Pie

This is another recipe that I used directly from the For the Love of Cooking blog. I was really excited to make beef pot pie, even though I am generally not the biggest fan of chicken pot pie. I made this recipe on a week that I was really assertive about planning all of my meals before going grocery shopping (usually, I end up running to the store about 3 times during the week to buy last minute ingredients that I need) and I wrote on my list "top sirloin steak" because that is the type of meat that she suggests in the original recipe. In all honesty, I don't feel very confident about my basic knowledge of cuts of meat. I had a hard time knowing which steak to get when I was at the store (although probably a regular stew meat would have worked just fine) so I chose the only one that was actually labelled "beef loin top sirloin steak." It was a little bit expensive, but it had been marked down and I had a $10 gift certificate to the grocery store so I didn't worry about it.

When my husband saw the type of meat I was using for the pot pie, he was appalled. This is not the first time that I have purchased an expensive cut of steak to put in a stew or casserole. I really need to stop doing that. Luckily, there was plenty left so we had a delicious steak barbecue for dinner the next night. Even without an expensive steak, this dinner would be amazing.

Crust (only for the top):

2 cups flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup oil

6 Tbsp ice water

2 Tbsp green onion, finely chopped

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Roll out into a crust that is approximately 1/8" thick and the same shape as your casserole dish. Enfold in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Filling:

2 tsp olive oil

1 lb top sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and cut into 1" pieces

1 small yellow onion, diced

3/4 cup carrots, sliced

4 tsp minced garlic

6-8 small red potatoes, diced

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp thyme

1 Tbsp tomato paste

4 cups beef broth (divided)

1/2 cup cornstarch

2-3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 450°. Place diced potatoes in a pot of water and boil for 4-5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the beef and sear, stirring often for 1 minute. Add onions and carrots and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Add minced garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly for another minute. Stir in tomato past and 1/2 cup beef broth. Then add potatoes and 3 cups of beef broth. While the mixture is simmering, whisk together corn starch and remaining 1/2 cup beef broth and stir into mixture until thickened (about 2 min). Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Taste and re-season with salt and pepper if needed. 

Ladle the filling into a casserole dish and cover with crust, pinching to seal. Cut small slits in the top of the crust. Place pie in oven, over a baking sheet or tin foil, and bake 38-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.