Oh yeah. Nothing like a hearty meat pie on a deary day to warm your body up. Hearty beef and sweet carrots, rutabaga, and peas in a caramelized onion, Guinness, and mushroom gravy, all served up in a puff pastry crust. So delicious.

Also, just like most things I eat, it’s surprisingly easy to make  (and looks fancy enough to impress others). 

As you can probably see, one of the most important parts of a pie this tall is the crust. I used my quick puff pastry recipe.

Slice approximately 2/3 of the dough for the bottom crust because the amount of filling is going to need a sturdy base. Roll out to a size just large enough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. I used a 9” springform. A normal pie pan would work as well, but the filling will have to be cut down as  well.

For the filling:

2-3 pounds of beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1” cubes
1 large rutabaga, cubed
2-3 carrots, diced
1 large white onion, diced
1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh peas
1 pound mushrooms, cleaned and diced
1 head roasted garlic
2 stalks celery, diced
2-3 cups good beef stock
2 cups dark beer
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour 

Salt and pepper
Fresh herbs
Bay leaf

Salt and pepper the beef and sear in batches in a deep stockpot. Once the meat is all browned, set aside.

Add in the mushrooms and brown until they release all the liquid and are dark brown and dry. Add in the roasted garlic, onion, and celery. Let sweat for 4-5 minutes.

Deglaze with the beer and stock. Add the beef back in and stew for at least an hour, 2-3 hours is better. When the beef is tender, add in the rutabaga and carrot and simmer until a fork can be inserted into a piece of rutabaga easily. 

I like to have a really thick filling, so I strained the liquid off of the stew and set it aside. 

Add the butter and flour to a saucepan and whisk constantly until it turns a dark caramel color. Add the stewing liquid to the pan and whisk until thickened and no lumps remain. Simmer on low until reduced enough to coat a spoon nicely.

Combine the filling back together, pour into the pie shell, brush the top crust with an eggwash and bake in a 350F oven for 50 minutes to an hour, until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbling.

It is great served with a pint of dark beer and maybe a shred of hard cheese.