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Total Time:
2 hrs 55 mins
- 900 g
beef cheeks
- 4 Tbsp.
plain flour, plus extra to dust
- 2 1/2 Tbsp.
vegetable oil
- 500 ml
beef stock
- 225 g
small shallots, peeled
- 200 g
chestnut mushrooms, quartered
- 3
medium carrots, roughly chopped
- 3
medium parsnips, roughly chopped
Small handful thyme sprigs
- 400 ml
Guinness
- 500 g
block puff pastry
- 1
medium egg, beaten
- Step 1Dry beef with kitchen paper, then cut into 2.5cm pieces (removing tough gristle or sinew). Put into a bowl and toss through flour. Heat some oil in a large heavy-based pan or casserole (that has a lid) over medium-high heat and brown the beef well – do this in batches using 2tbsp of the oil as needed. Set beef aside in a bowl. Add some stock to the pan, then scrape the base with a wooden spoon to pick up the sticky bits. Add mixture to the browned beef.
- Step 2Return pan to low-medium heat and add ½tbsp oil and the shallots, mushrooms, carrots and parsnips. Fry for 10min until veg begins to soften. Return beef to pan (with any liquid), add thyme, Guinness and remaining stock. Bring to the boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 1½hr or until beef is tender, removing lid for the final 20min (stirring and scraping bottom of pan or casserole frequently) to thicken the sauce.
- Step 3When beef is tender, remove thyme stalks and check seasoning. Divide among 6 individual pie dishes (each about 450ml), or one 2 litre one. Set aside to cool.
- Step 4Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll out pastry to 3-5mm thick. Brush rims of pie dishes with egg. Cut out lids and crimp on to dishes – rerolling trimmings as needed. Brush with egg. If you like, reroll any further trimmings and use to decorate (remember to glaze decorations with egg). Cut small steam holes into the centre of each pastry lid.
- Step 5Cook for 30-35min until pastry is deep golden. Serve.
To more easily peel shallots, cover with boiling water and leave for 1min. Drain, cool and peel.
Per serving:
- Calories: 726
- Protein: 48g
- Fat: 34g
- Sat fat: 17g
- Carbs: 51g
- Sugars: 10g
- Fibre: 6g
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An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
