Hairy Bikers meat and potato pie encases lean minced beef, Maris Piper potatoes, carrot and celery in lard shortcrust, baked in a 20cm square tin. And from Perfect Pies it serves 6 in about 2 hours 25 minutes, counting my hour of cooling, at my estimate of 645 calories each.
“All Northerners have their favourite pies and this is ours,” Si and Dave write, calling it more a religion than a tummy filler. Instead of a long braise, the mince is dry-fried without oil, then seasoned with ketchup, brown sauce and Worcestershire before the potatoes simmer in.
Stop the food processor the moment the dough starts to come together, before it turns into a firm ball whizzing round the bowl. Because in Perfect Pies they warn that this could stretch the pastry too much, so it might shrink as it bakes.
Hairy Bikers Meat and Potato Pie
Description
Two-thirds of the dough lines the square tin with a little overhang, then the cold filling goes in level and egg seals the lid. Then it bakes for 30 minutes and stands for 5 before you cut it.
Ingredients
For the pastry
For the filling
To finish
Instructions
- Make the pastry: Pulse the flour, lard and a good pinch of salt in a food processor until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Then, with the motor running, pour in the water in a steady stream until the dough is just beginning to come together. After that, divide it into two-thirds for the base and one-third for the lid, then shape, wrap and chill both blocks for 20 minutes.
- Cook the beef: Dry-fry the onion, carrots, celery and beef in a saucepan over a high heat until the beef is no longer pink. Stir often to break up the meat, then reduce the heat. Add the ketchup, brown sauce, Worcestershire sauce, flour, salt and some pepper, then cook for 1 minute.
- Simmer the potatoes: Add the potatoes and water and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cover the pan loosely. Simmer for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender, then leave the filling to cool completely, which I’d give about an hour.
- Line the tin: Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6, then roll the larger block out on a lightly floured surface, turning it often to make a square. Line the 20cm square tin, about 4cm deep, so the pastry hangs slightly over the sides. Then pile in the filling, spread it evenly and brush the pastry edges with egg.
- Lid and bake: Roll out the smaller block on a lightly floured surface, lay it over the filling, trim off the excess and seal the edges neatly. Then pierce the top several times with a fork, brush with beaten egg and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. As soon as it comes out, loosen the pastry from the sides of the tin with a knife, then let it stand for 5 minutes.
FAQs
Should it be minced beef or braising steak?
Both have a place, since this pie uses mince while the two family pies in their Mums Know Best books use chunks of steak. In the first book, Fiona Armitage from Ilkley makes her granny’s version with 1kg of stewing steak, oven-cooked for 4 hours.
It starts the day before, though, with a stock of roasted marrow bones and beef shin simmered for 4 to 5 hours. Or for mince without potato, their mince and onion plate pie oven-cooks 750g of beef in stock before it meets the pastry. And their corned beef pie uses a tin of corned beef instead, while their cheese and potato pie has no meat.
Is the BBC Food meat and potato pie theirs?
It’s from their Mums Know Best series, though BBC Food credits Dee Briggs of Wakefield, who made her dad’s Denby Dale pie. And hers serves 12, with 2.75kg each of braising steak and potatoes in a 28 × 38cm dish.
In Mums Still Know Best it’s Hargreaves’s meat and potato pie, seasoned with Bovril and Bisto because her dad’s own special seasoning was lost. But there they list 1.5kg of flour with 375g each of margarine and lard, while the BBC Food version uses exactly a third.
Is there a lighter version?
Yes, because their Hairy Dieters low-fat minced beef and potato pies make 6 small pies at 335 calories each. And they keep the ketchup, brown sauce and Worcestershire, but use 250g of lean mince with chilli powder, frozen peas and 300ml of stock.
The clever part is the case, since their friend Justine gave them the idea of making it from pizza base mix. Then the pies bake for 15 minutes, get covered with foil and go back in for 15 more.
Can I make the pastry by hand, and why a square tin?
Yes, rub the lard in with your fingertips, and in Perfect Pies they suggest shaping the dough for a square pie into a square. So it rolls out more easily, with far less waste.
They rate square metal tins for double-crust pies you’ll carry or serve in squares, because metal conducts heat well and portions cut easily. And if you use half butter and half lard, the lard still brings the short, silky texture they credit it with.
What goes with it, and can I make it ahead?
They suggest veg and gravy, and their Perfect Pies gravy softens a sliced onion before adding 75ml of wine, flour and 450ml of hot stock. Or for something sharp, Fiona’s great-aunt’s piccalilli follows her pie in Mums Know Best, and in Perfect Pies there’s their hot mustard pickle too.
Yes, since in Perfect Pies they write that a filled pie can be chilled overnight, then baked a few minutes longer from cold. Though storage isn’t covered for this pie, I’d keep baked leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 2 days, as my own rule.
