Beef and stout stew with potato cobbler

This is a bit of a mish-mash of two recipes from The Hairy Bikers but it turned out really well!

I was initially intending to make their beef and stout suet pudding but after failing to find a suitable pudding basin, I went to plan b. Instead I topped the stew with potato cobbler. This was taken from one of their other recipes and worked superbly. It was a lot easier than it may seem and the results are fantastic. It certainly made for a lovely Sunday dinner.

If you want really smooth mashed potato for the cobbler, or in fact any other recipe, it’s easiest to use a potato ricer. We bought the one below for just under a couple of months ago and haven’t seen lumpy mashed potato since.

For the casserole:

2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 medium onions, chopped
200g/7oz button mushrooms, wiped and sliced
4 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp flaked sea salt
2 tsp dried mixed herbs
750g/1lb 10oz well-marbled braising steak, such as chuck and blade
1 bay leaf
440ml/15½fl oz stout
300ml/10fl oz beef stock, made with 1 stock cube
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tsp caster sugar
freshly ground black pepper

For the potato cobbler topping:

250g/9oz peeled floury potatoes, such as King Edwards or Maris Piper
250g/9oz self-raising flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tsp fine sea salt
100g/3½oz cold butter, cut into cubes
125ml/4fl oz full-fat milk, plus extra for brushing

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4
• Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish. Fry the onions and mushrooms over a medium heat for about five minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring regularly
• Put the flour, salt and dried herbs in a large bowl. Season with lots of freshly ground black pepper and mix well. Trim the beef of any hard fat and sinew. Cut the beef into roughly 2.5cm/1in cubes. Toss the meat in the flour until coated evenly all over. Tip the beef and all the flour into the pan with the onions and mushrooms. Fry for 3-5 minutes
• Add the bay leaf, stout, stock, tomato purée and sugar. Stir well and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and carefully transfer to the oven. Cook for 2¼ hours, or until the beef is very tender, stirring halfway through the cooking time. If the beef remains a little tough, return to the oven and cook for longer
• While the beef is cooking, prepare the mash for the cobbler topping. Peel the potatoes and cut into 2cm/¾in chunks. Put in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender
• Drain in a colander and mash with a potato masher or put through a potato ricer until smooth. Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes. You will need 250g/9oz mashed potatoes for the cobbler topping
• Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and rub in the butter using your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add 250g/9oz mashed potatoes and rub together with the butter and flour
• Stir in the milk and mix to form a soft, smooth dough. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and roll into a thick sausage, about 24cm/9½in long. Cut into 12 rounds, each around 2cm/¾in thick
• Top the beef mixture with the potato dumplings, overlapping them slightly, so they almost cover the filling. Brush with a little extra mix to glaze. Season with a little ground black pepper and some sea salt. Return to the oven without a lid for a further 30 minutes, or until the cobbler topping is well risen, fluffy and golden-brown

Hairy Bikers’ chicken casserole with potato cobbler

Hairy Bikers’ layered beef and mushroom suet pudding