Phil Vickery's Friday night pie and mash
It’s the ultimate comfort food for an autumn Friday night.
Phil’s in the kitchen with the classic pairing - steak & ale pie with creamy mashed potato (with a cheese and onion alternative).
Phil's top tip - 24cm pie tin – If you’re not using a loose bottom pie tin, then line with parchment paper leaving a generous amount overlapping the edge to help remove the pie from the tin once it's cooked.
Steak and ale pie and mash
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the pastry500g shortcrust pastry, shop bought
For the steak and ale pie filling500g cut into 4cm diced chuck steak, leave all fat on3-4 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil1 heaped tbsp tomato puree2 small onions, very finely chopped2 medium carrots, 1/2cm pieces2 x 10g beef stock cubes, crumbled3 tbsp Worcester sauce200ml light bitter beerRoughly 300ml of boiling waterSalt and freshly ground black pepper500g shortcrust pastry1 egg, lightly beaten
For serving
Mash
Extra gravy
Pickled red cabbage or pickled walnuts
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C, Gas 3.
2. Using kitchen paper pat the meat dry, then dust lightly in the flour.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a deep casserole dish or ovenproof pan, then add half the meat and cook until nicely browned all over. Repeat the process with the other half of the meat.
4. Add the first lot of meat back to the pan. Then add the tomato puree, onions, carrots, stock cubes and Worcester sauce and really mix well.
5. Add the beer and then enough boiling water to barely cover the stew.
6. Season well with salt and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer.
7. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and place in the pre heated oven and cook for 1½ hours, nice and gently, until the meat will fall apart if pressed slightly.
8. Once cooked, remove from the oven and cool, then chill well.
9. Roll out the pastry and line a 24cm 3cm deep plate pie dish, allowing 2cm extra.
10. Cut off any excess then egg the pie dish top and use the excess to line the top of the dish.
11. Add the cooked beef mixture and leave nice and proud.
12. Lightly egg the pastry rim and lay a second disc of pastry over the top, making sure not to stretch the pastry. Thumb up the edges to seal well, then crimp for a nice finish. Brush well with beaten egg and make 2 small incisions in the centre.
13. Bake at 180 C gas 4 for 35-40 minutes until well browned and hot.
14. Serve with mash, extra gravy and for me pickled red cabbage or pickled walnuts.
Cheese and onion pie
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the cheese & onion pie filling50g unsalted butter4 large white onions, chopped
100ml water300g Lancashire cheese, chopped into small ½ cm cubes200g cooked potato, chopped into small ½ cm cubesFreshly ground pepper24 cm pie tin1 egg, whisked
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C
2. Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the onions and 100ml water and gently cook until all the water has evaporated. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
3. Mix the cooled onions with the cheese, potato and pepper.
4. Transfer the filling to the lined tray.
5. Roll out the remaining pastry and top the filling. Crimp the edges and trim the pastry – use the pastry trimmings to make shapes to decorate the pie.
6. Egg wash the top and make a small incision in the centre of the pie lid.
7. Transfer to a preheated oven for 20 minutes and reduce the temperature to 180C for a further 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
8. Serve the pie with pickles or a salad.