Tonight is Burns Supper Night. I of course, did not remember this until this morning and the chances of procuring haggis at this late time (in the US, where finding it even with some advanced planning is a bit of a pain in the neck) so I had to go with making a Steak Pie. Not ideal of course, but better than nothing. Full up on multiple bottles of whisky though.
Now, what’s your favorite Robert Burns poem?
Ingredients
for the stew
3 pounds beef sirloin roast, trimmed and cut to 2 inch cubes
10-12 small boiling onions, whole with outer skin removed
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, small dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled cut to 1 1/2 inch pieces
3 small Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
3 cups low sodium beef stock
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon corn starch, mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water for slurry
2 tablespoons heavy cream
for the pie
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed and rolled to a 12 x 12 square
1 egg, mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water for egg wash
Directions
Steam the carrots and potatoes until slightly softened, but still firm, about 6-8 minutes. In a large sauté pan over medium, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and heat to a shimmer. Once hot, add the onions and sauté until softened, about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove to a prep bowl and replace pan on the burner. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat again until shimmering. Add the meat and brown (you may have to do this in batches as not to crowd the pan — you want the meat to sear, not steam). Season with salt, pepper, herbs de Provence and paprika. Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the pan to a mixing bowl as well. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pan for all the fond.
Return meat and onion mixture to the pan and add beef stock and tomato paste. Bring mixture to a low simmer and cover, to let cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Test the meat for tenderness. If ready, add the corn starch slurry and bring to a rolling boil for just 30 seconds to thicken. Remove from the heat and add in the cream. Finally, stir in the cooked potatoes and carrots. Ladle into a pie dish of cast iron pan, and let cool to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 400F.
On a lightly floured counter, roll out your puff pastry to a 12 x 12 square. Cover the filled pie dish with pastry sheet, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with a little bit of additional salt. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
