Steak and Guinness Pie over Colcannon

This one may seem like a repeat, loosely based on my chicken pot pie recipe from the fall. However it's actually the opposite, this was the original that inspired my chicken pot pie recipe. I originally made it 2 St. Patricks day past, to serve for lunch at our Sugar Bush St. Patrick's day celebration. The heavy flavours of beer and beef gravy are a great way to use up some old freezer steaks, venison, or other game meat, that may otherwise have gone to waste.

2-3 steaks, I used some leaner cuts from the freezer sirloin and tenderloin.

1 can of Guinness (plus another can for the cook to enjoy)

1-2 rolls of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls or Biscuits

1 cup of beef broth

1/4 cup W Sauce

1/4 cup of flour

1/4 cup of heavy cream (if you are famished, lighter cream if not)

2 carrots chopped

1 onion diced

1 stock celery chopped

handful of mushrooms sliced

3 cloves of garlic diced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Couple pads of butter and splash of olive oil

Seasonings of choice for steaks I chose:

Royal Nova Company What's Your Beef

Kinders Caramelized Onion Butter

Fire up the grill and set it to high, we want a nice sear on them steaks.While the grills heating up, rub a little olive oil on the steaks and add the seasonings, go as light or as heavy as you like, just remember to adjust the salt, and pepper you add in during the sauce cook. I used my Grill Grates on my pellet grill to get a nice sear on the steaks.

The steaks don't need to be cooked all the way, because they will continue to cook once added to the sauce so pull them off once you have achieved the desired sear. Once the steaks are done set them aside to cool, and chop the vegetables, while you melt some butter and olive oil in a large dutch oven pot. Add the the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, salt and pepper to the pot and saute until the onions are translucent. Add a little beer or broth (just enough to coat the bottom) during the saute to help soften the vegetables, then add in the mushrooms and flour, coat all the vegetables in the flour, should almost look like a thick paste or wet sand. If its too thick add a bit more liquid, if too much liquid add a bit more flour. Cook the rawness out of the flour for a minute or two, then slowly add the beer and broth, let that simmer on low, while you cube up the steaks

Add the steak and cream to the pot, then bring to a boil, to finish cooking the vegetables, and meld the flavours together. Now that the pie filling is together, if you desire a thicker consistency for your pie, mix a little flour, and cream together to form a loose paste, then add to the pot and continue cooking to thicken. (The cool liquid mixed with flour helps prevent lumps if you just added raw flour to a hot liquid.) Once you are satisfied with the filling, get your cast iron skillet out, and pour the filling into it. Open the crescent rolls, and layer them over the top of the filling and set your oven or your grill to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Bake the pie until the top is golden, this isn't an exact timing I've found, sometimes the top looks done but the the dough is still a little "doughy" so maybe go a little more brown, than golden. My personal preference serve this pie over irish mashed potatoes or "colcannon" (my recipe bellow)

Colcannon (Mashed Potatoes with Cabbage or Leaks or Kale or Green Onions and or Bacon)

I'm not sure the preferred green to add to the potatoes, but cabbage is my pick, kale isn't something that should be used in potatoes, or for me anything, I have no use for the chewy retched stuff and you won't find it in any recipe I make. Cabbage, fresh spring leaks, and green onion however are all great choices and hell, I would add all 3 If I have them on hand.

4-5 Mashing Potatoes (Yukon Gold, Russets, White)

1 cup of chopped cabbage or leaks or green onion

1/4 cup bacon bits either fried and chopped or store bought.

lots of butter, cream and salt and pepper.

Suffice it to say I probably don't need to explain how to make mashed potatoes to anyone that accomplished making the above recipe, so I'll skip that. Once the potatoes are nearly done, saute the greens in butter or bacon fat until slightly tender, but still a little crunch, mash it all together with the potatoes and there you have it, a meal that St. Patrick himself, and his best friend Jesus would be happy to feast upon.