Tender beef potato top crunch
This recipe is from my second cookbook, Everyday Delicious. Technically, this isn’t a pie as I haven’t given it a pastry base (to keep it on the healthier side). I see this as kind of a really fancy, extra delicious shepherd’s or cottage pot pie, using lovely chunks of beef (rather than mince), which are so tender they fall apart on your fork. Of course, as usual I’ve used simple ingredients, it’s lovely and simple to make and tastes sensational. It’s also gluten-free if you leave out the breadcrumbs or use a gluten-free variety.
Serves 4–5
Preparation time 20 mins
Cooking time 2 1/2 hours
Ingredients
Filling
1kg Quality Mark chuck steak, trimmed and cut into big (6cm ish) chunks
2 cups red wine (or use additional stock)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 leek, finely chopped (discard the very dark green tops and outer layer)
400g mushrooms, sliced
1 cup beef stock (low salt)
½ cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons cornflour mixed with 2 tablespoons water
Crunchy potato topping
1kg mashing potatoes, peeled and chopped evenly
50g butter
3/4 cup grated cheddar or fresh Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup breadcrumbs tossed with 1 tbsp olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 140c.
Heat a little oil in a large pan over a high heat. Add the beef in batches and brown all over, then transfer to a casserole dish. Add the red wine to the pan; let it bubble rapidly for 30 seconds and pour over the meat.
Return the pan to a medium heat and add a dash more oil with the onion, garlic and leek and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the stock, tomato paste, mustard, bay leaves and cornflour mixture. Stir to combine then pour over the meat in the casserole dish and stir. Cover and bake in the oven for 2.5 – 3 hours. Cool slightly while your prepare the potatoes (remove the bay leaves).
Increase the oven temperature to 200c.
Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain and replace over a low heat for a minute to remove excess moisture. Mash, or pass through a potato ricer.
Stir the butter through and season to taste. Arrange spoonfuls on top of the meat mixture to cover. Toss the breadcrumbs and scatter over the potato with the cheese. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden on top (you can grill for the last few minutes). Let it sit for 10 minutes or so before serving if you can!
Serve with some steamed seasonal veges.
Chelsea’s tips and tricks
- Don’t cut the meat up too small or it will dry out. The tender meat will shred apart later into smaller pieces.
- This dish can be made in the slow cooker for around 8 hours on low or 5-6 hours on high. Reduce the amount of wine (or stock) to 1 cup.
- The cooked filling can be frozen for up to a month.
- A serving of lean beef provides up to a third of a woman’s iron requirements – important for energy levels.
Hi, this recipe is a firm favorite in our house. Just wondering, is there any rush to get it straight into the oven after everything is in the casserole dish? Is it ok to wait for an hour or so before putting in the oven so it is ready at the right time? Thanks.
Is it ok to use blade steak instead of chuck steak?
yes x
A very yummy Recipe! I made this for my Daughter & her Teenage Family, they loved it.
Thank you Chelsea for another great Recipe
????
Thanks!
Do you think I could substitute the beef with venison? Could venison also be used in your beef ragu recipe or any other slow cooked recipe?
Looking forward to making this recipe – could the steak be substituted for mince do you think?
This has been by far the most amazing shepherd’s pie I’ve ever had! To be honest it’s right up there with my favourite foods – it was that delicious (not to mention easy).
I changed it up a tiny bit – as you do with what you have.
I added celery which I cooked with the onions initially to soften. I omitted the Leek as I didn’t have any and also added about 3 or 4 carrots cut into large pieces.
I also omitted the wine and went with 2 cups of chicken stock (I don’t find beef stock has a nice flavour to it). Because I did it in the oven, I’m sure it could’ve done with some more liquid stock though, and I might try to add some more next time to see how it goes.
I added part kumara to the potato topping in place of some potatoes.
Honestly Chelsea – this was an amazing recipe. Thank you very much for sharing it. Can’t wait to make it again in the future.
This beef stew is rich and lick your plate delicious! I always cook it in my slow cooker for about 6 hours on low (I only add 1 cup of red wine) and then transfer it to a pan and reduce it down on the stove (about 20-30 mins). Then I make Cornish pasties with the beef as the filling. Simply divine!
Hi Chelsea. On a recent visit from WA to see family, both my sister and sister-in-law introduced me to your beautiful recipes and cookbooks. I tried your Apricot Yoghurt Loaf on the weekend, with a yummy result and I intend to try this Cottage Pie recipe very soon. I usually use oyster blade steak (it may be known by a different name in NZ), for my beef casseroles and stews – it is ALWAYS tender and has a lovely flavour. Thank you for adding the comments/ideas at the end of your recipes, I find them very helpful.
I have rump steak out but didnt feel inspired to grill it ….. so, can I use this or is it too lean??
I made this a couple of weeks ago and it was amazing. I used beef cheeks and have to say would never use anything else now.
This recipe is AMAZING! I am loving so many of your recipes in everyday delicious! My husband thinks I’m the best cook, I tell him no Chelsea Winter is I just follow her recipes by scratch! Haha
Well, who was the first person I thought of for a recipe using diced beef? having the in laws over for dinner tonight, lovely hearty dish for a wet windy day
It was yummy. I would definitely cook again. I cooked mine in the crock pot.
Would love to know the measurements of your casserole dish please. Thanks very much.
Hi chelsea ! This looks delish I want to make it and was wondering if i can still use beef mince? Thank you
Chelsea, if making in the slow cooker do you recommend one cup total of wine plus stock so perhaps 1/2 cup wine and 1/2 cup stock? (Not sure if I am reading it right).
Cheers, Nick.
Nailed it! This was delicious and so simple, Thank you so much Chelsea…a winner in this household!
Hi Chelsea. Have cooked this delicious dish a couple of times and was wondering if I could put the oven in my casserole pot on a low heat and cook all day? Apart from the potato of course…what temp would you recommend?
Hi Hana, I can’t really say without knowing your oven – a slow cooker is the safer option :)
As someone who cooks very basic food and being quite fussy, your recipes are fantastic.
Am trying this tonight it’s in the oven now and already smells divine.
Quick question though – are the temperatures given for fan bake or should I lower them? I’ve gone half way between but would be great to have a definite answer if you have the time please Chelsea. Thanks
They are regular bake unless specified :) Thanks for the lovely feedback!
Hi Chelsea
When I make this pie, I’m planning on halving the ingredients, could you let me know if I need to reduce the cooking time.
Thanks
I think you may still need the full time but just start checking after 2 hours.
Hi there, I’m looking at making this for my work lunch next Friday, however I’ll make it the night before….what’s the best way to reheat this you think? We do have a oven at work as well but not sure how good it is
Hi Chelsea. you have some super duper recipes all right. I would like to make this recipe into a pie and add cheese, what sort of cheese would you recommend I use please. And do you have to add bay leaves. thanks.
I like tasty!
I made this tonight tasted nice but the sauce was really runny. I made the sauce in the slow cooker and finished it off in the oven. I also reduced the amount of wine so I think I would suggest only using half a cup of wine and half a cup of stock if doing in the slow cooker.
Or you can just add the sauce to a saucepan at the end with a little flour and boil until thickened :)
Absolutely delicious and so easy,i dont have much talent when it comes to cooking and i can’t actually believe i made something that tastes this good.absolutely love your recipes and working through them all slowly ,this is my favourite so far.
Hi can you leave the leek out or could you replace it with anything else. THANKS
Hi Chelsea, Can this be made in advance and freezed? I would like to make it for around Christmastime this year but dont want to have to spend precious family time making it! Could I make the meaty part and let it cool and freeze or do you not recommend?
Yes, but don’t freeze the potato part.
I am trying this in the pressure cooker tonight. I’m not a fan of my pressure cooker, it scares me and I usually burn things. Any advice??
Hi Chelsea. Planning to cook this using the slow cooker. When using slow cooker, do I use the slow cooker instead of the oven and do all the steps the same until this point? Or can I just put everything into the slow cooker? Can’t wait. All ur recipes that I have tried turned out fantastic! Thx :)
Absolutely beautiful. Total winner in this family, even my fussy little ones wanted seconds!
Very contented family with this dish. I chose to add some bacon, but the flavours were awesome. Thanks for sharing Chelsea.
The flavours in this were amazing and because the meat is in large pieces, the meat was beautiful. My sauce was very very thin though, so any ideas would be gratefully received? Thank you for a lovely recipe.
Hi Caz, it depends how much steam your pot lets out as to how much it reduces – so next time for your pot just add less liquid, or add some cornflour at the end to thicken.
This was so good. Flavours were amazing but sauce was so runny. Where did I go wrong? And sorry to ask but im not the best chef. When u say 6cm chunks I pretty much cut the steak in 3? Or would you do smaller? Aaand one more question quality mark? I just used some from new world. Where do you get qualitymark from? Thank you sorry for all the questions. Just found your website amazing recipes. Can’t wait to try more. Will definitely be asking santa for your cookbook at Christmas. Thank you :)
This looks awesome. Love anything I can toss in the slow cooker. Cheers.
☺
Hi Chelsea,
Every recipe I’ve tried of yours has been a winner so I’m looking forward to this one! Just wondering if you could please recommend a good red wine for cooking? Thanks :)
A merlot is nice!
For those who go have histamine sensitivities, what would you sub-out the wine for please? I know it won’t be the same yet would greatly appreciate knowing so my kid doesn’t “pufferfish”. Cheers!
You can use stock instead x
What type of red wine is best to use?
Any type you have lying around, really – a merlot is nice, cab sav for a stronger flavour.
I don’t have any wine and am confused on how much stock to use. 3 cups or just the 1?
3 cups :)
Oh my, this was delicious! A new family favorite and perfect comfort food for a cold winter’s night. Thank you, Chelsea!
Tried the tender beef potato top crunch tonight – was amazing! Thanks for sharing Chelsea :)
Looks so delicious. I am also looking forward to trying this. ♥
Another winner, I think. Can’t wait to try this in a few days time. Thanks especially for adding the tips for cooking it in a slow cooker, which is how I will be cooking it :-)