We don't eat a lot of red meat in our home, but we do enjoy it once in a while. I tend to gravitate more to the cheaper cuts, and I do this for several reasons. One is price (no surprise there) and the other is that they tend to come from the parts of the animal that have gotten the most use and which have developed the most favour! And if you know me, you will know I am all about flavour!
Red meat tends to be a bit on the expensive side over here and I think it has probably always been so. I can remember when I lived in Suffield, Alberta, which was a British Army Training Unit Services base. We were friends with quite a few Brits and were invited to a home for a dinner party one night. They loved to entertain, and were quite entertaining people! We loved them to bits!
On this particular occasion the hostess served some lovely trout as a first course, and then she cooked a whole round steak for each person. Apparently meat was very cheap in comparison to the UK and she wanted to treat everyone to a nice piece of meat. The servings were huge to say the least and tougher than blazes! Round steak begs to be simmered long and slow and is what they would call braising steak over here in the UK!
This hot pot here today is gorgeous . . . with a tender beef filling made with flavourful braising steak, braised with mushrooms and shallots until it is meltingly tender . . .
A goodly bit of stilton cheese gets stirred into the juices and then it gets spooned into either individual casseroles or one large one and then covered with a thatch of mashed potatoes prior to baking until it is golden brown and bubbly.
*Steak & Stilton Hot Pot*Serves 6Printable Recipe
Tender delicious stewed beef beneath a thatch of potato. This is a real family pleaser. Plan ahead as you need to marinate the meat overnight.
For the mash:1 1/4 pound of mashing potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 TBS butter
60ml whole milk, warmed (1/4 cup)
salt and pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
For the steak filling:1 KG stewing steak (2.2 pounds)2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed1/2 tsp thyme leaves1/2 tsp coarse black pepper400ml of pale ale (1 3/4 cup)2 TBS plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper2 TBS olive oil2 TBS butter100g chestnut mushrooms, sliced (1 1/2 cups)8 shallots, peeled and sliced500ml beef stock (2 1/4 cups)75g crumbled stilton (2/3 cup)
You will also need a few TBS of grated cheese to top the potatoes (optional)
Cut the beef into cubes and place into a non-reactive bowl along with the garlic, thyme leaves, and black pepper. Cover tightly and place in the refrigerator over night to marinate.
The next day remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry. Dredge with the seasoned flour. Strain the marinade and reserve.
Heat the oil and butter in a large flameproof casserole. Brown the beef in batches, removing it with a slotted spoon to a bowl, as it browns. Repeat until all the beef has browned. Add the shalots and mushrooms to the pan and saute for 5 minutes or so until beginning to soften. Return the beef to the pan along with the reserved marinade and the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer over low heat for about 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is very tender.
About 45 minutes before the meat is done make the mash for the topping. Place the potatoes in a pot of lightly salted water to cover. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Drain and mash well. Stir in the butter and warm milk. Season to taste with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F gas mark 5.
Divide the meat between six individual casserole dishes, or place into one large shallow casserole dish. Strain off and discard half of the liquid in the pan. Crumble the stilton into the remaining pan juices and then divide them equally amongst the casserole dishe(s), spooning them over the meat.
Pipe the mashed potato on top decoratively or spread it over top and rough with the tines of a fork. If you are doing individual casseroles, place them on a baking tray. Pop into the preheated oven in any case and bake for 35 minutes until the potatoes are starting to turn golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Sprinkle a few TBS of cheese over top if desired and return to the oven to melt.
Let stand a few minutes before serving.
I served this with some steamed broccoli and sweet corn, but a salad would also go very nice! I don't mind me saying this is supremely delicious. Note, the stilton I used was not blue stilton, but regular stilton! Bon appetit!
