Ready for the most appetizing adventure of a lifetime? Grab all your gear, specifically your most special spoon, and get ready to embark on these Hidden-Treasure Beef Pot Pies. You’ll be willing to go over all the rivers and through as many woods it takes to get to these flaky pies filled with a vast assortment of juicy beef and yummy veggies. “X” marks the spot, literally and figuratively, of where all the good things can be found in Hidden-Treasure Beef Pot Pies. And golly, it’s ‘gooder’ than gold!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more, to taste, for dusting the parchment paper
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
- 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 6 tablespoons stout beer, such as Guinness®, plus more, to taste
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- fresh herbs, to taste, of your choice, for garnish
For the beef filling:
- 1 (2 1/4-pound) beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch-thick pieces
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- kosher salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup stout beer, such as Guinness
- 2 cups water
- 3 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch-thick pieces
- 1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch-thick pieces
- 2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch-thick pieces
Directions
Step 1 –In a food processor, add 1 3/4 cups of the flour and the fine salt and pulse to combine.
Step 2 –Add 1 stick of the cold butter and the cheese to the flour-salt mixture and pulse until it looks like a coarse meal with some pea-size bits of butter.
Step 3 –Drizzle 6 tablespoons of the beer into the dough mixture and pulse to combine. If the dough does not hold shape when squeezed, add 1 tablespoon of the extra beer and pulse to combine.
Step 4 –Pat the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place it in refrigerator to chill until it is firm, for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Step 5 –Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Step 6 –In a large bowl, add the beef and the remaining 1/4 cup of the flour.
Step 7 –Season the coated beef pieces with the kosher salt and the pepper.
Step 8 –In a Dutch oven or large, oven-safe pot over medium-high heat, melt the remaining butter.
Step 9 –Add the coated beef pieces to the melted butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are browned on all sides, about 7 minutes.
Step 10 –Add the remaining beer and the water to the beef mixture and use a wooden spoon to loosen any of the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Step 11 –Bring the beef mixture to a simmer, cover, and transfer the Dutch oven to the oven. Braise the beef mixture, about 30 minutes.
Step 12 –Transfer the Dutch oven to a wire rack and add the leeks, the carrots, and the celery to the beef mixture. Return the pot to the oven and continue to cook, about 1 hour.
Step 13 –Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use the extra flour to lightly coat two additional pieces of parchment paper.
Step 14 –While the beef filling is braising, put six 10-ounce ramekins on the prepared baking sheet.
Step 15 –Place the dough between the prepared pieces of parchment paper and roll it out into a 10×15-inch rectangle.
Step 16 –Cut the dough rectangle into six 5-inch squares and make an X-shaped slit in the middle of each to allow steam to escape when baking.
Step 17 –Transfer the Dutch oven to a wire rack and increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
Step 18 –Season the beef filling with the kosher salt and the pepper.
Step 19 –Evenly divide the beef filling between the prepared ramekins.
Step 20 –Top each of the filled ramekins with 1 of the dough squares and press gently to adhere the dough to the rims of the ramekins. Brush each with the beaten egg.
Step 21 –Bake the pot pies until their crusts are crisp and golden-brown, about 35-40 minutes.
Step 22 –Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the pot pies rest, about 10 minutes.
Step 23 –Garnish with the fresh herbs and serve.
