Cook the potatoes in the chicken stock until the potatoes can just barely be pierced with a fork. Drain, dice, and let cool until ready.Bake the pies in coffins (narrow pans), and “season the gravy very high,” according to Thomas Jefferson. This is the perfect dinner for meat and potato lovers.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup potatoes (we used about 6 mini Yukon Gold potatoes)
Chicken stock, enough to cover the potatoes
½ cup flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1½ lb beef, cut into bite-size pieces (we used beef round)
½ cup meat fat, lard, or cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups boiling water
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
8 Tbsp Madeira wine
5 Tbsp parsley, chopped
Piecrust of your choice
1 sheet puff pastry
1 egg, beaten (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Cook the potatoes in the chicken stock until the potatoes can just barely be pierced with a fork. Drain, dice, and let cool until ready.
In a plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Add the beef, seal the bag, and shake. Set aside for 20 minutes or so. Remove the beef from the bag, and shake off any excess flour. Do not discard the flour left in the bag; you will need that shortly.
Add the meat fat (or any cooking fat or oil) to a Dutch oven on medium heat. Add the beef, working in batches, until browned. Remove meat, and set aside.
While the Dutch oven is still hot, cook the onions and garlic until soft. Raise the temperature of the heat to medium-high. Add the meat, water, Worcestershire sauce, Madeira, parsley, and whatever flour was left in the plastic bag. Stir until it reaches the boiling point, then drop the heat to simmer and cook for about 1 hour, covered.
Set oven to 450 degrees and prepare your piecrust. You can use a store-bought crust that comes in its own pan or a favorite homemade piecrust. If you are making your own, we suggest making enough for a deep-dish pan as this is a hearty dish.
Remove the Dutch oven lid and add the potatoes, gently stirring. Turn the heat off. Now it is time to prepare the pie.
Using a slotted spoon, add the contents of the Dutch oven onto the piecrust. For effect, make the center a little higher than the sides, making sure you leave enough room for the gravy that is left in the pan. Using a ladle, or a large spoon, pour the gravy over the meat until it gets close to the top.
Prepare your puff pastry on a flat, well-floured surface. The pastry should be large enough to generously cover the contents in the piecrust. Lay it over the meat pie, seal the edges, and trim the edges where necessary. We recommend brushing the top of the pie with an egg wash (1 egg, beaten).
Cook for 30 minutes or until nicely golden.