Beefsteak Pie

By the RecipeCafe Archives

Ingredients

• 1 Remnants of cold broiled steak or roast beef, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
• 1 Boiling water, enough to cover meat
• 0.5 onion
• 1 Flour, enough to thicken (diluted with cold water)
• 1 Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch (6 mm) slices, parboiled 8 minutes in salted water
• 1 Baking-powder biscuit dough or pie crust pastry, enough to cover the dish

Instructions

1. 1. Cut remnants of cold broiled steak or roast beef into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes and place in a heavy saucepan.
2. 2. Cover the meat with boiling water. Add the half onion. Simmer slowly (approximately 200°F / 95°C) for 1 hour, until the meat is tender and the liquid has become a light broth.
3. 3. Remove and discard the onion.
4. 4. Thicken the broth by whisking flour diluted with cold water into the hot liquid — this technique is called a slurry. Continue to simmer, stirring, for 3-5 minutes until the gravy coats the back of a spoon and no raw-flour taste remains. Season with salt and pepper.
5. 5. While the stew cooks, parboil potato slices (cut 1/4-inch / 6 mm thick) in boiling salted water for 8 minutes, until the edges are just tender but the centers still resist a knife tip. Drain.
6. 6. Add the parboiled potato slices to the thickened meat mixture. Stir gently to combine.
7. 7. Transfer the mixture to a buttered 2-quart (approximately 9 x 13-inch / 23 x 33 cm, or equivalent deep 2-quart / 1.9 L baking dish). Allow to cool until no longer steaming, approximately 20-30 minutes, so the topping does not weep or sink.
8. 8. Cover the filling evenly with baking-powder biscuit dough or rolled pie crust pastry. If using pie crust, cut several slashes in the crust with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape.
9. 9. Bake in a hot oven at 425°F (220°C) for 20-28 minutes, until the biscuit or pastry topping is deep golden brown, sounds hollow when tapped lightly, and a skewer inserted through a steam vent into the filling meets no resistance. If using biscuit topping, the edges should have pulled away slightly from the dish sides.