The Ultimate Steak and Guinness Pie

close up shot of spatula lifting portion of steak and guinness pie from baking dish

5 from 6 votes

A rich and tender steak and Guinness stew topped with sour cream and chive mashed potato, all finished with a layer of cheese and flaky pastry!

Prep Time25

Cook Time2 45

Resting time30

Total Time3 40

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Irish

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £3 / $4

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Large Deep Pot with Lid (for beef guinness stew)
Tongs & Wooden Spoon
Jug (for stock)
Large Baking Dish (mine is 12x9" / 30x22cm)
Large Baking Tray (to place underneath baking dish)
Colander & Potato Masher (for mash)
Cheese Grater
Small Pot & Brush (for egg wash)
Serving Spoon

Ingredients

Beef and Guinness Filling

1kg / 2lb Beef suitable for braising/slow cooking (see notes)
1 tsp Salt, plus more as needed
1/2 tsp Black Pepper, plus more as needed
2-3 tbsp Olive Oil, or as needed
150g / 5oz Back Bacon, diced
200g / 7oz Carrots, diced into small chunks
100g / 3.5oz Celery, diced into small chunks
1 large White Onion, finely diced
3 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
40g / 1/4 cup Plain Flour
600ml / 2 1/2 cups Beef Stock
1x 440ml / 14.8fl oz can of Guinness (see notes)
75g / 1/4 cup Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsp Brown Sugar (preferably dark brown sugar)
2 Bay Leaves
4 sprigs of Fresh Thyme

Mashed Potato

1.5kg / 3.3lb Baking Potatoes, peeled and diced into chunks
6 tbsp / 90g Butter, closer to room temp the better
120ml / 1/2 cup Sour Cream, at room temp
60ml / 1/4 cup Whole Milk, at room temp
1x 20g/0.7oz bunch of Fresh Chives, finely diced
3 tsp Salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste

Pie

150g / 5oz Cheddar, grated
1x 320g/11oz sheet of Puff Pastry
1 Egg, beaten

Instructions

Trim any aggressive bits of fat from the beef then dice into fairly large bite-sized pieces. Coat in 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
Add 1 tbsp oil to a large deep pot over high heat. Once hot, add half of the beef and sear until brown all over, then remove from the pot. You're not looking to cook the beef at this point, this is just to develop flavour on the outside. Repeat with the second batch, adding more oil as needed.
Lower the heat to medium and fry the bacon until it begins to crisp and leak out fat (add more oil if needed). Add the onion, carrot and celery and fry until it all begins to soften and lightly colour. Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
Stir in the flour then stir in half of the stock until it blends with the flour. Stir in the rest of the stock alongside all of the Guinness. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, sugar, thyme, bay leaves and cooked beef (alongside all the resting juices). Give it a good stir and bring it to a simmer.
Once simmering, turn the heat to low, add on the lid and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 35-40 minutes, or until the consistency is a thick gravy and the beef is tender (important that the sauce has thickened). Stir somewhat frequently to ensure a skin doesn't form on top of the beef and around the pot. Check for seasoning and adjust if desired.
Pour the filling into the baking dish, plucking out the thyme stalks and bay leaves as and when you find them. Leave to rest for AT LEAST 30 minutes to cool and form a skin on top. I recommend an hour or even overnight in the fridge if you can (see notes).
As the filling cools, you can crack on with the mash. Add the diced potato to a large pot of cold water and stir in 2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until fork tender. Drain them in a colander and leave them to sit for 5 minutes. This is important to allow the steam to escape.
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.
Add the potatoes back into the pot and mash with butter, sour cream, milk, chives and salt and pepper (I use 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper but work to taste). Dollop by dollop gently add the mash on top of the filling. Smooth over the mash to close any gaps and ensure the top is completely level. If the mash is still piping hot, just let it cool for a few more minutes. If it's steaming hot the pastry won't crisp up properly. Sprinkle over the cheese, then add the pastry and brush with egg wash. Slice 4-5 steam holes in the top.
Place the dish on top of a baking tray (important to catch any leakage) then place in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is deep golden and crispy, with the filling bubbling around the edges.
Rest for 5 or so minutes before tucking in!

Video

Notes

a) Beef - I recommend something like beef chuck, but most types of casserole/braising/slow-cooking cuts of beef with marbled fat will work. Don't use lean cuts of steak/beef, it'll dry out! The marbled fat is essential. Also, I don't recommend buying the packs of pre-cut small pieces. Larger bite-sized pieces will hold up better over the longer cooking time.

b) Filling - The filling will be quite watery once you take the lid off, but it will thicken up as you simmer without the lid. It's important to thicken it up so the mash can rest on top. The cooling part is also very important, as this is what helps prevent the mash from sinking into the filling.

c) Mash - Don't mash the butter, milk and sour cream into the potatoes right out of the fridge. You want them all resting at room temp as you prep everything else. Warmer milk etc blends into the potato with much more ease. Also, make sure you season the mash generously! Nothing worse than bland mash on a yummy filling. Finally, just make sure you let the potatoes steam dry for 5 or so minutes. This will make sure the mash doesn't come out too sloppy, which in turn prevents it from collapsing into the filling. Also, it cools down the potatoes, which is important. If the mash is still piping hot, the pastry won't crisp up properly.

d) Prepping ahead - Here are some options for you to prepare the pie ahead of time:

Filling - I typically always make the filling ahead of time. Not only to get ahead of the game, but the the filling will taste even better after resting overnight! Just allow it to completely cool in the baking dish then tightly store in the fridge overnight. From there, I recommend getting it out of the fridge 30-60 minutes before stacking, just to take the chill out of the centre and help it cook through evenly.
Filling + Mash - Make sure both the filling and mash are completely cool, then stack the mash on top of the filling, add cheese and tightly store in the fridge. Important the mash and filling are both cool before stacking. From there, again, try to get it close to room temp before finishing with pastry + egg wash and baking in the oven. You can also freeze and thaw in the fridge before baking. I leave off the pastry because it's best cold straight out of the fridge.

e) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 8.

Nutrition