Beef and Mustard Pies with Champ
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth.
This is a comfort food classic and is best made with a cut such as boneless shin or gravy beef to produce a rich and meltingly tender stew.
Serves: 4–6
INGREDIENTS
1 kilogram diced stewing beef
½ cup plain flour
olive oil
2 onions, diced
1 stick celery, finely sliced
1 large carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon grain mustard
1 x 355 ml bottle pale ale
1 cup beef stock
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Champ
1½ kilograms floury potatoes, peeled
1/3 – ½ cup cream
good knob of butter
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 150˚C.
Heat a little olive oil in a large ovenproof casserole or saucepan. Season the flour and toss through the beef, shaking off the excess. Brown the beef in batches until lightly golden, transferring to a plate as they brown. Add a little more oil to the pan between batches and don’t let the base of the pan catch and burn.
Add the onions, celery and carrot with a good pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes, adding a splash of the ale to the pan if it’s too dry. Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and the mustard and cook for 1 minute. Add the ale and stock along with the beef and any meat juices. Season and bring to the boil. Place a piece of baking paper over the meat then cover tightly with a lid or foil. Braise for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes until the beef is very tender.
Champ: Cut the potatoes into chunks and cook in boiling salted water until tender.
Drain well and tip back into the saucepan. Place over a low heat to drive off excess moisture. Stir in the remaining ingredients and season well.
To assemble: Divide the beef between ovenproof ramekins and top with the champ, roughing it up with a fork. Drizzle over a little melted butter then bake until the filling is hot and the champ is golden.

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