Mini Steak and Stout Pies

These Mini Steak and Stout Pies are the perfect addition to an appetizer bar when you want to deliver something hearty and comforting, but still leave room for more! Bite size bits of sirloin and veggies in a rich, stout gravy, is topped with puff pastry for an easy, but impressive dish.

My uncle has gifted me many cookbooks over the years covering a wide range of topics and cuisines, so it’s no surprise that I have a few Irish cookbooks in the collection. One of them, The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook, is full of belly-warming, delicious recipes including one for Beef & Stout Pies. I made them a few years ago when my dad requested an Irish Pub theme for his birthday. They were definitely a hit and full meal in itself. 

With St. Pat’s day approaching, I thought it would be a great addition to our appetizer bar. So, I adapted the recipe to take advantage of frozen veggies, reduce the cooking time and miniaturized it for a grazing menu. They are tiny, fun, and still packed with the comforting flavors of the original.

What You Need for Mini Steak and Stout Pies

Ramekins — You’ll need nine, 4-oz oven safe ramekins. The tasting bowls I used are no longer available, but any oven safe vessel will do the job. You can use larger dishes, and obviously, that will mean you’ll need fewer of them. 

Sirloin — This less expensive cut of beef is great for roasting and stews. Because I’ve reduced the cooking time by quite a bit from the original recipe, the meat should be cut into small pieces. For an extra shortcut, sirloin often comes pre-sliced into strips for stir-fry. That’s exactly what I used and simply cut the strips down into smaller, bite-size pieces. 

Bacon — What else is better for adding flavor to a stewed dish? Center cut bacon provides just enough fat to brown the sirloin. 

Leeks — These members of the onion family resemble spring onions, but are larger, more fibrous and tend to be sweeter. When sliced across, you’ll see tightly bound layers, usually with sand and dirt between. You’ll want to slice and thoroughly clean leeks before cooking them. If you can’t find leeks, one thinly sliced yellow onion is a great substitute.

Mushrooms — Cremini (or baby bella) mushrooms are great for stews as they have a more mature flavor and firmer texture to younger white button mushrooms.

Peas + Carrots — Pick up a bag of frozen peas + carrots! There’s no need to peel, dice or shell. 

Stout — Stout is a dark, rich beer that pairs excellently with beef. I went traditional and used Guinness. For fun, try a stout from one of your local microbreweries. If you wish to omit the beer, increase the amount of beef broth.

Puff Pastry — A super simple topper for these mini pot pies. You’ll roll out the pastry just enough to cut nine circles large enough to seal your ramekins.

Seasonings — Raid the pantry for everything else that will bring flavor and texture to the party: butter, flour, beef broth, Worcestershire, tomato paste, fresh thyme and salt + pepper.

How to Make Mini Steak and Stout Pies

Prep Your Ingredients

• Thaw one sheet of puff pastry (overnight in the fridge or on the counter for 40 minutes).
• Measure out 2 cups of peas + carrots and set aside to thaw.
• Slice the tough green stalks from the leek, leaving just a bit of the light green section behind. Slice the leek in half lengthwise, then slice half moons from each piece. Submerge the leeks into a large bowl filled with water and massage them to release all the sand and dirt. Remove the leeks to a clean bowl, dump the water and repeat the process until you’re satisfied they are clean. Spread the leeks out on a tea towel to dry while you prep the other ingredients.
• Clean and dice the mushrooms. Set those aside with the leeks.

• Cut the steak down to at least 1/2” cubes and place it in a bowl. Add the flour, salt + pepper to the meat and give it all a good toss.
• Measure out 1/2 cup of beef broth and set aside.
• Measure out 1 cup of stout and to that add the Worcestershire, tomato paste, and fresh thyme.
• Have 1 tablespoon of butter at the ready.

Make the Filling

• Cook the bacon in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once crisp, remove it to a paper towel to drain. Leave the fat in the pan.
• Increase the burner to medium-high and add the sirloin to the pan. Cook until just browned. Once the sirloin is done, remove it to a dish.
• Lower the heat to medium and add the butter, then the mushrooms and leeks. Cook these until they are soft and just starting to turn golden. There should be some nice bits coating the bottom of the pan.

• Pour in the beef broth to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape all the brown bits (the fond) from the pan to add flavor to the sauce.
• Add in the stout with the remaining ingredients, and return the beef to the pan. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pan, but leave the lid askew to allow it to vent and cook it for about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove the stew from the burner and crumble the bacon in.

Make the Pies

• Distribute the stew evenly between the ramekins.
• Roll out the pastry dough. Use a biscuit cutter or sharp knife to cut circles slightly larger in diameter than the ramekins. 
• Cut a large “X” in the center of each circle or use a small cookie cutter to cut a shape from the center. In either case, this will serve as a vent for your pie.
• Lightly beat 1 egg with a little water. Brush the top edge of the ramekin with the egg wash. Place a circle of dough on top and gently fold the dough over the sides and press it in place. If you cut a shape from the center, place that shape of dough on top, but rotated to leave vent holes. (See the photo above.)
• Once you’ve sealed all the ramekins, lightly brush the tops with egg wash.
• Bake the pies for 20 minutes at 425F, reduce the heat to 400F and cook for another 5 minutes.

Serving Suggestions for Steak and Stout Pies:

• Make it a meal by serving a single mini pie alongside a green salad, steamed vegetables or potatoes.
• Make a single large pie instead by transferring the stew into a deep dish pie plate or similarly sized casserole. Place the puff pastry on top following the same directions as for the mini pies. Bake it at 400F for about 30 minutes. 

More Recipes for Your St. Pat’s Celebration

• Dublin Coddle Egg Rolls with Mustard Caper Sauce
• Cashel Blue Cheese + Pear Tarts
• Leftover Corned Beef Hash Waffles with Savoy Cabbage + Eggs
• The Irish Buck Cocktail

Mini Steak and Stout Pies

Sip + Sanity | Linda Feller

These Mini Steak and Stout Pies are the perfect addition to an appetizer bar when you want to deliver something hearty and comforting, but still leave room for more! Bite size bits of sirloin and veggies in a rich, stout gravy, is topped with puff pastry for an easy, but impressive dish. (Adapted from The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook.) 

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!

Prep time.Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook time.Cook Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Total time.Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Course.Course Appetizer, Main Course, Stew

Cuisine.Cuisine Irish

Number of servings.Servings 9 mini pies

Calories per serving.Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 pound sirloin steak, cut into ½" cubes
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 slices center cut bacon
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 leek, tough green stalks removed, halved lengthwise, cut into half moons, rinsed and drained
• 6 ounce cremini mushrooms, diced
• 2 cups frozen peas and carrots, thawed
• ½ cup beef broth
• 1 cup stout beer*
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with a little water

Instructions

• Cook the bacon in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once crisp, remove it to a paper towel to drain. Leave the fat in the pan.
• Increase the burner to medium-high and add the sirloin to the pan. Cook until just browned. Once the sirloin is done, remove it to a dish.
• Lower the heat to medium and add the butter, then the mushrooms and leeks. Cook until they are soft and just starting to turn golden. Pour in the beef broth to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape all the bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Add in the stout with the remaining ingredients, and return the beef to the pan. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pan, but leave the lid askew to allow it to vent and cook it for about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove the stew from the burner and crumble the bacon in. Distribute the stew evenly between the ramekins.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Roll out the pastry dough. Use a pastry cutter or sharp knife to cut circles slightly larger in diameter than the ramekins. Cut a large “X” in the center of each circle or use a small cookie cutter to cut a shape from the center. In either case, this will serve as a vent for your pie.
• Lightly beat 1 egg with a little water. Brush the top edge of the ramekin with the egg wash. Place a circle of dough on top and gently fold the dough over the sides and press it in place. If you cut a shape from the center, place that shape of dough on top, but rotated to leave vent holes.
• Once you’ve sealed all the ramekins, lightly brush the tops with egg wash. Bake the pies for 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 400°F and cook for another 5 minutes.

Notes

• *If you wish to omit the beer, increase the beef broth to 1-1/2 cups.
• Make a single large pie instead by transferring the stew into a deep dish pie plate or similarly sized casserole. Place the puff pastry on top following the same directions as for the mini pies. Bake it at 400F for about 30 minutes. 

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 364mg | Potassium: 404mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3239IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg

Keywords.Keyword beef, oven, puff pastry, st. patrick’s day, stove top

Did You Make This Recipe?Be sure to share a comment below!