Pub-Style Steak & Ale Pie

Intensely savory steak pie is a classic British comfort food, but making it can be a tedious multistep procedure. Our streamlined version has all the flavor and texture of the authentic article with less work. We skipped the traditional browning of the meat, which requires working in batches, and browned the mushrooms and onion instead, building a flavorful fond at the same time. Adding flour early in the process and limiting the amount of stock we added to the pot meant that the gravy formed as the meat cooked so we could bypass the usual sauce-building steps. To make sure the limited moisture didn’t mean limited flavor, we added bacon, garlic, and thyme. We substituted beer for some of the stock and boosted browning with the addition of a small amount of baking soda. Our unusual pastry dough includes an egg for added structure, which together with sour cream also contributed fat, allowing us to decrease the amount of butter. The resulting dough was sturdy enough to go over the filling while it was hot, but it baked up flaky and substantial, the perfect complement to the rich filling.