No matter what time of year, you'll enjoy having a slice of a savory pie like our savory meat and potato pie. You'll love the warm, hearty filling and crisp golden pastry in this delicious pie recipe. Let's get cooking!
If you love meat pies, check out these recipes for minced beef pie and corned beef pie.
Ingredients
Curious what you need to make our meat and potato pie? Fortunately, it uses easy-to-find ingredients that you can get at your local grocery store. Let's talk about the most important ones.
- Beef: Choose a good stewing beef, like chuck steak, that has a good marbling of fat throughout the meat. This means that it will be very tender when it's cooked.
- Potatoes: There is a combination of red potatoes and russet potatoes for a variety of textures. The starchy russets break down to thicken the filling, while the waxy red potatoes hold their shape despite the long cooking time.
- Pastry: Homemade hot water crust pastry is used for the top only. This lowers the calories, speeds up the process, and prevents having a soggy bottom crust.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Meat & Potato Pie
Measure out the ingredients and cut up the meat and vegetables. Store the cut potatoes in water until needed so they don't turn brown.
- Sear the stewing beef chunks in oil in three batches, and turn them with tongs to allow each side to brown. Deglaze the pan with water to remove all the browned bits, and pour the liquid into a bowl to save for later. (image 1)
- Heat another tablespoon of oil and cook the onions until they are translucent and lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes. (image 2)
- Add the carrot and celery and cook for another 5 minutes. (image 3)
- Add the beef stock, seared meat, thyme, salt, and pepper. (image 4)
- Simmer for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until the meat is cooked and tender. (image 5)
- Add the potatoes and turnip and simmer for 35-40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the gravy is thickened. The waxier red potatoes will hold their shape well as they cook, while the fluffier russets will break down a little to thicken the juices. (image 6)
- Spoon the filling into a 6-cup enamel dish and cover with pastry. Brush with beaten egg, then cut a few vent holes. (image 7)
- Bake for 40-45 minutes at 400°F. Let it cool for 15 minutes before serving. (image 8)
Recipe FAQs
Any type can be used for meat pies--except the sweet kinds, of course! The most popular choices are shortcrust and puff, but I've chosen hot water crust to make a crunchy, rustic top. If you can't decide between shortcrust and puff, use shortcrust for the base and sides of the plate, and use puff pastry for the top. You'll get a sturdier base with a lovely flaky top.
Yes, you can use puff pastry as a base. However, it won't be as crispy or flaky if you do so. I'd recommend using shortcrust for the base or skipping the base altogether and only use puff pastry on the top.
The filling in this recipe is thickened by starch from the potatoes that are simmered in the stew. You can also thicken the juices by adding a few tablespoons of flour to the veggies and cooking it for a couple minutes before pouring in the beef broth.
Use a cheaper cut of meat that will cook up beautifully tender. Chuck steak or any stewing beef works well, as long as it has a good marbling of fat throughout the meat. This means that it will be tender when cooked.
Leftovers: It will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure it's tightly covered with foil.
Freezing: Seal leftovers in a zip-top bag or airtight container and freeze for 1 month. Defrost in the fridge overnight before serving.
Serve
Curious what to serve with this meat and potato dish? Here's some delicious ideas to get you started! Mashed potatoes or mushy peas are great favorites, and are wonderful with this dish. You can also try fresh greens, salad, roasted veggies, steamed peas, or a bread roll.
If you're looking for a recipe to use up minced beef (ground beef) in a tasty way, be sure to try our recipe for shepherd's pie.
Expert Tips
- Choose a cut of meat with marbling of fat throughout. This means that the meat will be more tender when it's cooked.
- Simmer the filling for a couple of hours total to make sure the meat is really tender. You can also cook it in a crockpot on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8-9 hours.
- Adjust seasonings to taste before assembling.
- Use puff pastry, shortcrust, or hot water pastry. Any of these will be delicious!
- Use beaten egg to stick the pastry to the rim of the dish. Don't forget to brush the top with beaten egg to get a lovely color when the pastry is baked.
Other Delicious Savory Pies
Recipe
Meat and Potato Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups onions, diced
- 2 large celery stalks, sliced
- 3 medium carrots, sliced
- 1.5 lb stewing beef or chuck steak, cubed
- 4 cups unsalted beef stock
- 10 oz russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 10 oz red potatoes, cubed
- 1 lb turnips, peeled and cubed
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 bunch fresh thyme, tied with twine
- 8 oz hot water crust, shortcrust, or puff pastry
Instructions
Making the Filling
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and brown the beef in three batches, turning the pieces occasionally. Deglaze the pan with ¼-1/2 cup of water and scrape off the browned bits of meat, then pour the liquid into a bowl for later.
- Melt the other tablespoon of oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then add the onions and cook until they're golden, stirring occasionally. Add the celery and carrot and cook for 5 more minutes, until the celery is beginning to soften.
- Add the browned beef, beef stock, salt, pepper, and bunch of thyme, then cover and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1 ½ hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove the bunch of thyme.
- Stir in the turnip and potatoes, then simmer for another 35-40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and have thickened the gravy a little.
- Adjust seasonings to taste, then pour the filling into a 6-cup (1.5 liter) pie dish. Reserve any extra filling to eat separately.
Assembling & Baking the Pie
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Brush the rim of the dish with beaten egg, then cover with the pastry. Trim off the excess pastry with a small, sharp knife, then crimp the edge as desired. Brush the top with beaten egg and cut a few vent holes.
- Bake at 400°F for 40-45 minutes, until the pastry is a deep golden brown. Cover the edges of the pastry with aluminum foil if they're getting too dark.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Choose a cut of meat with marbling of fat throughout. This means that the meat will be more tender when it's cooked.
- Simmer the filling for a couple of hours total to make sure the meat is really tender. You can also cook it in a crockpot on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8-9 hours.
- Adjust seasonings to taste before assembling the pie.
- Use puff pastry, shortcrust, or hot water pastry. Any of these will be delicious!
- Use beaten egg to stick the pastry to the rim of the dish. Don't forget to brush the top with beaten egg to get a lovely color when the pastry is baked.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Judy
Loved this recipe! I love all your British recipes. Are you ladies British?
Emma Fajcz
We're glad you enjoyed the pie, Judy! We're Canadians with British ancestry who now live in the States.
Alex
The steak is soft, and the turnip is very good. The spices are lovely, and the pastry is delectable. I love the potatoes on it as well!
Emma
Glad you enjoyed it, Alex!
Beth
This is a yummy savory pie. I love the smell of this stew cooking! There are lots of potatoes, which is superb, and the other root vegetables and chunks of meat. It makes a nice, hearty supper.
Emma
Thank you, Beth! I love meat and potatoes, but especially when they're cooked together in a pie.