Beef Pot Pies with Irish Cheddar Crust

Tender and flavorful beef stew encased in a flaky Irish cheddar crust. Perfect for St. Paddy's day.

This recipe contains , unsalted butter, cheese (cheddar), flour (all-purpose), sugar, salt, mustard powder, cayenne pepper, water, , vegetable oil, chuck roast, salt, onions, carrots, garlic, fresh thyme, fresh marjoram, flour, beef broth, water, mustard (dijon), parsley (fresh), eggs, black pepper

6 Servings

Prep time:

Cook time:

Ingredients:

• For the crust:
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 8 oz. Irish cheddar, or sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup(s) water
• For the beef stew filling:
• 4 tsp. vegetable oil, divided
• 1 1/2 lb. beef chuck meat, well-trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• salt
• 1 med. onion, chopped fine
• 2 med carrots, peeled and chopped small
• 1 clove(s) large clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
• 1 tsp. minced fresh marjoram
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 1 oz. can of low-sodium beef broth
• 3/4 cup(s) water
• 1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• pepper

Instructions:

• 1. Make the pastry:
• 2. Place the cut up butter pieces in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill.
• 3. Meanwhile, in the work bowl of a food processor combine flour, sugar, dry mustard, salt and cayenne pepper.
• 4. Pulse to combine.
• 5. After the butter has chilled, scatter the pieces over the flour mixture (still in the food processor), along with the cheddar.
• 6. Pulse about 10 times.
• 7. Sprinkle half the ice water over the dough, pulse about 3 times, repeat with remaining water, pulsing 3 more times.
• 8. Pinch the dough to check if it sticks together, if not add a tablespoon or two more ice water, until it comes together.
• 9. Dump the mix in a large bowl and press it together to form the dough. Divide dough in half, shaping each into a 4-inch disk.
• 10. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour.
• 11. Begin the filling:
• 12. Pat the meat dry with paper towels and season with salt & pepper.
• 13. Heat 2 t. oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until just smoking.
• 14. Add the meat in a single layer and cook, without stirring, until the meat browns well on the underside, anywhere between 5-10 minutes (the meat will give off liquid, just let it evaporate - leave it alone!)
• 15. Stir the meat and cook another couple minutes, until it looses the raw color.
• 16. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• 17. Reduce heat to medium, add the remaining 2 t. oil and the onions and carrots.
• 18. Saute until softened and starting to brown, stirring occasionally, around 5 minutes.
• 19. Add the garlic, thyme and marjoram, cook until very fragrant, about a minute.
• 20. Stir in flour, cook and stir about a minute.
• 21. Slowly add in the beef broth and water, then the meat, along with any juices left on the plate.
• 22. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, to med-low. Cover and cook, (adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a simmer) stirring occasionally until the meat is just becoming tender, around 45 minutes.
• 23. Remove from heat, add in the Dijon and parsley.
• 24. Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper and set aside to cool.
• 25. Rolling out the crust, filling & baking the pot pies:
• 26. Remove the dough from the refrigerator 10 minutes before rolling it out.
• 27. Roll the dough out on a well-floured surface, large enough to cut out 3, 7-inch circles out of each half (save the scraps). Line each cup of a large-sized muffin tin with the dough. (It won't look very pretty, you just kind of have your way with it to get it pressed in there.)
• 28. Refrigerate the filled tins as well as the dough scraps 15 minutes to firm back up.
• 29. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• 30. After 15 minutes and the filling has cooled down quite a bit.
• 31. Divide the mixture evenly between crusts.
• 32. Divide the remaining dough into 6 balls. Roll out each piece wide enough to cover the pot pies.
• 33. Pinch the top and bottom crust edges together to seal, and finish the edges in whatever decorative way you like.
• 34. Brush the tops with the beaten egg.
• 35. Bake 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan after 20 minutes.
• 36. Remove from oven & let sit 5 minutes before (carefully) removing the pot pies from the tin.