Beef Pot Pie

The Crust:
2 cups of flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup of canola oil
6 tbsp ice water
2 tbsp fresh chives, minced

Stir the flour, salt, canola oil, ice water, and chives together in a bowl; mix until flour is wet. Gather the dough into a ball (mixture will be crumbly) and place between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; roll into an 1/8 inch thick oval crust (or square depending on your pan). Cover the dough with saran wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

The Filling:
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb top sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch pieces (I used a 1 lb. package of diced lean stew meat)
1/2 onion, diced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
6 small red potatoes, diced
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 tsp of thyme (more if desired)
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 cups of beef broth (divided)
1/3 -1/2 cup of cornstarch (depending on how thick you want it)
2-3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the diced potatoes in a pot of water and boil for 4-5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the beef and sear, stirring often for 1 minute; add the onions, mushrooms, and carrots then continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, stirring well then deglaze pot with 1/2 cup of broth, scraping up the bits. Add an additional 3 cups of broth along with the potatoes. While the mixture is simmering, whisk together the corn starch and the remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth; stir into the beef mixture until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley. Taste and re-season with salt, pepper, or thyme if needed. Ladle the filling into a large baking dish. (I used a large oval corelle baking dish.)

Place the dough on top of the filling. Crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork. Make a small slice in the center of the crust with a knife. Place the pie on top of a baking sheet covered with tin foil then place in the oven and bake for 38-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. (I found that it baked a lot faster, so be sure to check it often.)

Remove the pie from the oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before serving to allow the filling to cool and thicken.

Ingredients: stew meat, mushrooms, carrots, red potatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, garlic, thyme, parsley, canola oil, fresh chives, cornstarch, flour

Original recipe in the April 2010 issue of Cuisine at Home. I adapted and made a few changes from the original recipe.