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Beef Pot Pie

Source of Recipe

From "Cook it in Cast Iron" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"For a quick, richly flavored beef pot pie made in the skillet, picking the right cut of beef was an essential first step. We went with beefy chuck-eye roast, which turns meltingly tender when properly cooked. Searing only half the meat built plenty of rich, caramelized flavor while saving time on the stovetop. We created a rich sauce using the browned fond from the meat as a base, then added the meat back in and used the oven for a hands-off way to gently simmer the dish until the meat was tender. Parbaking the crust ensured that when we baked the topped pie, it cooked up bubbly hot and golden brown with no mushiness or scorching. You can use our Classic Single-Crust Pie Dough or ready-made pie dough in this recipe."

List of Ingredients

◦  1 recipe single-crust pie dough
◦  1 large egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water
◦  2 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into ¾-inch pieces
◦  Salt and pepper
◦  3 Tbsp vegetable oil
◦  8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
◦  2 carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
◦  1 onion, chopped fine
◦  2 Tbsp tomato paste
◦  4 cloves garlic, minced
◦  3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
◦  ½ cup dry red wine
◦  1¾ cups beef broth
◦  1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
◦  1 cup frozen peas
◦  1 tsp minced fresh thyme


Recipe

Roll dough between two sheets of parchment paper into 11-inch circle. Remove top parchment sheet. Fold in outer ½ inch of dough to make 10-inch circle. Using index finger of one hand and thumb and index finger of other hand, crimp edge of dough to make attractive fluted rim. Using paring knife, cut 4 oval-shaped vents, each about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide, in center of dough. Transfer dough, still on parchment, to baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400° F. Brush dough with egg mixture and bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer crust, still on sheet, to wire rack and let cool slightly; do not turn off oven.

Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons oil and heat until just smoking. Brown half of beef on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to bowl.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms, carrots, and onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in wine and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 2 minutes. Slowly stir in broth and Worcestershire, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps, and bring to simmer. Stir in browned beef and any accumulated juices and remaining uncooked beef. Cover, transfer skillet to oven, and cook until beef is tender, about 1 hour, stirring halfway through cooking.

Using potholders, remove skillet from oven. Stir in peas and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Being careful of hot skillet handle, place parbaked pie crust on top of filling, return skillet to oven, and bake until crust is deep golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 10 minutes. Let pot pie cool for 10 minutes before serving.


Serves 4 to 6