Beef Pot Pie Puff Pastry (Print version)

Savory beef and vegetables in rich gravy beneath a crisp, golden puff pastry crust.

# What you'll need:

→ Beef and Marinade

01 - 2 lbs beef chuck, cut into ¾-inch cubes
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Vegetables

04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 1 large onion, diced
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 ½ cups frozen peas
09 - 1 ½ cups baby potatoes, diced

→ Sauce

10 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
11 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
12 - 2 cups beef stock
13 - ½ cup dry red wine (optional)
14 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
15 - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
16 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
17 - 1 bay leaf

→ Crust

18 - 1 sheet (about 9 oz) ready-made puff pastry, thawed if frozen
19 - 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

# How to make it:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F.
02 - Season beef cubes with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown beef in batches, setting aside browned pieces.
03 - In the same pot, reduce heat to medium. Add butter, then sauté onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes for 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
04 - Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste, mixing well.
05 - Pour in red wine (if using) and deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits. Add beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaf. Return beef to the pot.
06 - Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender.
07 - Discard bay leaf. Stir in peas and cook 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
08 - Transfer beef mixture to a 2-quart baking dish.
09 - Drape puff pastry over the filling, trimming excess and pressing edges to seal. Cut a few small slits for steam to escape. Brush pastry with beaten egg.
10 - Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until pastry is golden and crisp.
11 - Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

# Expert suggestions:

01 -
  • The puff pastry crust creates this impossibly golden, flaky lid that shatters beautifully when you dig in, revealing the rich, fragrant filling underneath
  • Everything cooks in one pot before baking, meaning less cleanup and more time for lingering over dinner with the people you love
  • The beef becomes meltingly tender after its slow simmer, and the gravy thickens into this silky, deeply flavorful sauce that somehow tastes even better the next day
02 -
  • The beef must be browned in batches rather than all at once, otherwise the pot will overcrowd and the meat will steam instead of develop that rich, caramelized crust
  • Letting the flour cook for a full minute with the butter eliminates any raw flour taste and ensures your gravy is silky rather than pasty
  • The filling needs to cool slightly before topping with pastry, otherwise the steam will make the bottom crust soggy and prevent the pastry from puffing properly
03 -
  • Mushrooms are an excellent addition if you want to stretch the serving size, just add them when you sauté the other vegetables
  • If you prefer a thicker gravy, stir together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water and whisk it into the simmering filling for the last 5 minutes of cooking

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