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While chicken potpie is common in the U.S., thick stews made with beef, lamb, root vegetables and beer-based gravies hail from countries like Ireland and England. This recipe uses a dark stout beer combined with cool-weather vegetables to create a filling winter meal.
Yield: 4 potpies
Ingredients
- 3 T. unsalted butter, divided
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 stalks celery, sliced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 2 medium potatoes, cubed
- 2 large leaves kale, stemmed and thinly sliced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 T. unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups beef or chicken stock
- 1½ cups stout or dark beer
- 1 9-inch pastry dough
- 1 egg
- 1 T. water
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In large, deep skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Add celery and cook 1 minute more.
Reduce heat to medium and add carrots and potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, until onions become translucent and other vegetables begin to brown. Stir in the kale, salt and rosemary. Set aside.
In 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven or soup pot, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour to form paste. Continue to whisk as you slowly pour in stock and beer. Whisk vigorously to smooth any clumps. Turn heat to medium-high and continue to whisk as gravy thickens.
Allow gravy to come to boil and add vegetables. Bring to boil again and reduce heat to simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often, until gravy has thickened and resembles vegetable stew.
Arrange four 2-cup ramekins on baking sheet. Fill each with about 1½ cups stew. Divide any remaining gravy evenly among each.
On floured surface, roll out pie dough to about 1/4-inch thick, cut dough into circles that will extend 1 inch over edge of each ramekin. You should get one to two circles, and then you’ll likely need to re-roll dough to get remaining two.
Place each crust circle over ramekin, allowing it to fall over edges of bowl. Whisk egg and water together in small bowl. Gently brush top of each crust with about 1 teaspoon egg wash. Cut three slits in tops of each potpie.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until crust is browned and filling is bubbling. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
