If you are looking for some good, traditional, Irish pub food, here you are! What could be better than a rich and hearty beef and Guinness pie. This is serious comfort food. Tender chunks of beef, onions, mushrooms simmering in a rich, Guinness enriched sauce all encased in a flaky pastry. Sounds perfect for a March evening, doesn’t it?
More often you’ll see this type of pie served with puff pastry on top, instead of pie crust. And if you’d like to try it that way, just fill your dish(or dishes) with the beef filling and top with a layer of pre-made puff pastry.
I, however, prefer a flaky and tender pie crust. I have the best recipe and knew that it would just melt into the filling. It’s really, really good, Folks. And flaky. SO flaky.
So flaky in fact, that it caused a few problems when I was trying to photograph it. I though “Hey! These would make just the cutest little mini pies!” So I proceeded to make little mini beef and Guinness pies in a muffin tin. And they baked up just beautifully. Then pie-removal time came and yeah. Didn’t go so well. That crust was so delicate and tender and flaky that there was NO way it was coming out of those tins in one piece. Or even Ten.
So, if you want make minis, just make them in individual ramekins. Or just make one whole pie. That works fabulously, I can assure you. But whatever you choose to do, get ready for a heart warming meal that will take you over to a greener, and more, um…..Irish state of mind.
For more Irish and St. Patrick’s Day related recipes, check out these posts(HERE, HERE and HERE.)
I’m sharing this post over at Just Between Friends today, so head over HERE to get the pie crust recipe!
- 3 T. Olive Oil
- 1½ lb. Beef Stew meat, cut into ½" cubes
- 1 T. Coarse Salt
- ½ t. Pepper
- ¼ C. Flour
- 1 large Onion, diced
- 8 oz. small Mushrooms, quartered
- ½ T. fresh Rosemary, chopped
- 1 Garlic Clove, minced
- 1½ T. Tomato Paste
- 6 oz. Guinness
- 2 C. Beef Broth
- 2 small Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼" cubes
- 1 recipe Pie Crust
- 1 egg
- 2 T. Milk
- Heat the olive oil on high in a stock pot or preferably a cast iron pot. In a bowl, toss the beef with the flour, salt, and pepper until thoroughly coated. Add the beef to the hot oil and brown on all sides. Do this in two additions, so as to not overcrowd the pan. When the beef is browned, remove from the pan.
- Add the onion and mushrooms to the pan(adding a little more oil, if necessary) and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. When the mushrooms and onions begin to brown, add the rosemary and continue to saute for a few more minutes, or until a deep brown color is achieved.
- Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds more.
- Add the tomato paste and mix it into the vegetables, cooking for another 30 seconds.
- Place the beef back in the pot and mix in to the vegetables.
- Add the Guinness to the pot and stirring and scraping the sides as it reduces to loosen browned bits and deglaze the pot.
- Add the beef broth, and bring the liquid to a simmer.
- Place a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to medium/low.
- Continue to lightly simmer for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.
- after 1 hour of simmering, add the potatoes to the filling. Re-cover the pan and continue cooking.
- When the meat is tender, remove the lid and allow to simmer for another 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Roll out ⅔ of the pie crust dough to cover a 9" pie dish. Pat the dough down into the dish and fill with the hot beef filling.
- Roll out the remaining dough into a circle large enough to cover the top of the pie. Place on top of the filling and seal the edges of dough around the dish.
- Beat together the egg and milk and brush over the top of the pie.
- Bake in a oven preheated to 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling.
- Serve immediately.
