Family Beef and Potato Pie
Servings: 6
This family-friendly Beef and Potato Pie recipe is made in just one pan and uses store-bought puff pastry, so it's achievable even for a busy weeknight. In this comforting classic, minced (ground) beef is cooked with veggies in a delicious sauce, then topped with a lid of crispy golden pastry. See the recipe for useful make-ahead tips to make this even easier and quicker.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and roughly diced
- 2 celery stalks roughly diced
- 800 g 1¾ lb minced (ground) beef
- 2 tbsp tomato paste concentrated puree
- 2 tbsp plain all-purpose flour
- 2 cups 500 ml beef stock
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 potatoes cut into small cubes (roughly 1 cm/½ inch)
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes or to taste
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper or to taste
- 1 cup 150 g frozen peas
- 1½ sheets frozen puff pastry thawed and cut into rectangles
- 1 egg whisked
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Make the pie filling – Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan over medium–high heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened.
- Add the beef and cook, breaking it up as you go with a wooden spoon or spatula, until it begins to brown, for a further 4–5 minutes.
- Stir through the tomato paste followed by the plain flour.
- Once the flour is incorporated, add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and potatoes to the pan. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Season with salt and pepper (the amount you use will depend on how salty your stock is).
- Cook, covered, for 30–35 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally and add ½ cup (125 ml) of water halfway through if the sauce is beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan (see note 1 for tips).
- Turn the heat off and stir through the frozen peas (they will heat through in the oven).
- Allow the mixture to cool slightly.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) (180°C/350°F fan-forced).
- Transfer the filling to a baking dish – Spoon the cooled mixture into an oven-safe (1 litre/1 quart) baking dish.
- Top with the pastry – Layer the pie with the thawed puff pastry rectangles so that they slightly overlap each other.
- Bake – Brush with the egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake for 30–35 minutes or until crisp and golden.
- Stand, then serve – Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Note 1 – If the sauce is still thin after the cooking time, cook on the stovetop over medium–high heat, uncovered, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced to your desired consistency.
MAKE AHEAD
Prepare the pie filling as per the recipe. Do not cover with puff pastry. Refrigerate the filling in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw completely in the fridge overnight before use. Layer with puff pastry and bake as per the recipe.LEFTOVERS
Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven to retain the crispy pastry. Puff pastry doesn’t reheat well once frozen – it tends to lose its crispness and can go a bit soggy. For best results, freeze the filling for up to 2 months, then thaw, top with fresh pastry and bake when you’re ready.Scan for full recipe:
