Ainsley Harriott Minced Beef and Potato Pie Recipe
Rich, savoury minced beef steak cooked down with potatoes, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and HP brown sauce, all encased in a thick, buttery shortcrust pastry and baked until deep golden.
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Roasting Tin or Pie Dish (35cm x 25cm)
- Rolling Pin
- Palette Knife
- Pastry Brush
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
For the Shortcrust Pastry
- 400 g plain flour
- good pinch of salt
- 200 g butter chilled and cubed
- 3-5 tbsp cold water
- 1 egg beaten with a dash of milk, to glaze
For the Filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic crushed
- 750 g good quality minced beef steak
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 400 ml beef stock
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp HP brown sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 large potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6. Place a baking tray in the oven to heat up.
- Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the chilled, cubed butter and rub into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the cold water gradually, one tablespoon at a time, stirring with a palette knife. When the dough just comes together, knead briefly into a smooth ball. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and cook gently for 4–6 minutes until softened. Add the crushed garlic and cook for a further minute.
- Increase the heat and add the minced beef steak. Cook for 5–6 minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned all over with no pink remaining.
- Stir in the plain flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the beef stock, tomato purée, HP brown sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and cubed potatoes. Stir well and simmer gently for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the parsley, and leave to cool completely.
- Lightly flour a work surface. Divide the rested pastry into two equal halves. Roll out the first half to approximately 3–4mm thickness and use it to line a 35cm x 25cm roasting tin or pie dish, pressing into the corners with a little overhang at the edges.
- Spoon the cooled filling evenly over the pastry base. Roll out the remaining pastry and lay it over the filling. Press the edges together firmly to seal and trim any excess. Crimp the edges with a fork and brush the entire top with the beaten egg and milk glaze.
- Place the pie onto the preheated baking tray and bake for 35–40 minutes until the pastry is deeply golden and crisp. Rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with buttery greens and gravy.
Notes
Keep the butter cold at all times — work quickly with your fingertips, not your palms, to avoid warming the fat.
Cool the filling completely before assembling — hot filling releases steam that makes the base soggy.
Always place the pie on a preheated baking tray to ensure the pastry base cooks through properly.
Do not skip the HP brown sauce and Worcestershire sauce — they provide the depth and complexity that makes this filling exceptional.