Beef steak, thyme and onion pie with celeriac mash

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Georgina Fuggle serves up a luxurious beef, onion and thyme cottage pie recipe, topped with celeriac mash for the perfect comfort food dish.

First published in 2015
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When clocks take a lazy step backwards and darkness arrives not long after lunch, we seem to require a more ‘meat-heavy’ menu. Here steak wallows in a sea of ale, chestnut mushrooms and sweet carrots for 3 hours before being baked with a sweet celeriac mash. My tip would be to invest in good quality beef and brown the meat over a high heat first, rather than just colouring it as this adds a far superior flavour. Though the most vital is long, slow cooking until the meat falls apart under the fork and you’re left with a spectacularly gelatinous juicy gravy.

This pie will provides a glimpse of warmth during winter months and would be totally delicious as an alternative to a Sunday roast.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Steak, thyme and onion filling

Celeriac mash

  • 1 celeriac, small, peeled and cut into 3–4cm cubes
  • 3 potatoes, floury, peeled and cut into 3–4cm cubes
  • 75ml of semi-skimmed milk
  • 1 knob of butter

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3
2
Add the beef to a hot, deep casserole dish with a dash of oil and sprinkle over the flour. Give the meat a good stir until the flour disappears from sight and the meat is very well-browned
3
Add the remaining ingredients needed for the filling; the mushrooms, garlic, onions, carrots, celery, ale, beef stock, thyme and mustard. Again, give everything a good stir so they are evenly distributed and season well
4
Pop the lid on and place the dish in the preheated oven for 3 hours, occasionally stirring to make sure the bottom isn’t catching, or adding a little water if you think the mixture is becoming dry
5
While the stew is cooking, make your mash. Simply empty the celeriac and potato into a large saucepan and fill with cold water
6
Bring to the boil and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the vegetables are completely tender. Drain and mash, stirring in the milk and knob of butter. Season to taste
7
Remove the casserole dish from the oven and allow your pie filling to cool. Transfer to a 1.5 litre, ovenproof dish
8
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
9
Bake for 30 minutes until the top is crusty and golden brown and the filling is bubbling below. Garnish with a little fresh thyme before serving
First published in 2015
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Georgina is a chef who's had five years, three cookery courses, one restaurant and a fiercely sharp mother to hone her culinary skills.

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