Leftover Roast Beef, Carrot, and Creamy Potato Pie
What to do with leftover roast beef when all the mashed potatoes are gone? Make it into a delicious savory pie! This pie has all the goods from your favorite meal, wrapped up in a huge amount of pie crust. Pot roast, carrots, and creamy potatoes have never been happier together.
1/2cupsalted buttercold (1 stick), cut into chunks
1/2cupbutter-flavored Crisco+ 1 tablespoon
1/2cupice cold water
1 & 1/2poundsroast beefshredded
1/3 to 1/2cupbeef gravy
2cupscarrotscooked
For the potatoes
1 & 1/2poundsYukon gold potatoessliced thin
2 & 1/2cupscream
2clovesgarlicsmashed and minced (jarred kind is ok)
1teaspoonsalt
1/8teaspoonblack pepper
1pinchnutmeg
1/4teaspooncayenne pepper
1/2cupshredded Parmesan cheeseoptional
2teaspoonsmilkfor brushing pie crust
Instructions
If you already have leftover roast beef and carrots (and/or leftover potatoes) you can skip ahead to the assembly below. If not, you are going to want to start by making this recipe for Easy Fall Apart Pot Roast with Carrots. This recipe will give you the beef, carrots, and gravy that you need for this pie.
Begin by making the crust. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt.
Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter and Crisco into the flour. When the mixture resembles coarse sand but still has some chunks of butter about the size of a pea, stop.
Add half of the ice water. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to moisten the dough. Add the rest of the water and use your hands (dust them in flour first) to knead the dough just a few times to make it come together in a ball. Don't knead more than necessary.
Dust a work surface with plenty of flour. (I love to use my pastry cloth for rolling out any kind of dough.)
Divide the dough in half. Use a rolling pin to roll out half the dough into a large circle. Transfer the dough into a 9 inch pie pan. (I like to gently roll the dough onto the rolling pin and then lift it into the pie pan, and then unroll.) Place the other half of the dough in the fridge, covered.
Layer the roast beef into the pie dish. You can use anywhere from 1 to 2 pounds. Make sure you shred or chop it so that it's easier to take bites of your lovely pie.
Top with some beef gravy. If you followed my pot roast recipe, you should have some. You can make your own or use a canned variety.
Top with the cooked carrots.
Meanwhile, start the potatoes. Scrub them clean, (don't peel) then use the slice attachment of a food processor to slice the potatoes very thin, think between 1/8 and 1/4 inch. You can also slice them by hand of course. It takes literally one minute to do it in the food processor, so use it if you have one.
In a high sided skillet (or a wide pot), add the potatoes and cream. Turn the heat to medium.
Add the garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper.
Bring to a low simmer over medium heat. You want to reach the point where there is a very gentle bubbling situation going on, but don't let it come to a hard boil. Let this simmer, stirring gently and adjusting heat as necessary, for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender or almost tender. The cream will have reduced a bit, but there should still be a thick sauce.
Spoon or pour the potatoes on top of the carrots in the pie dish, adding all that lovely liquid. Just keep adding it to the center. I know it looks like a ridiculous amount. IT IS. YOU WILL LOVE IT. Pile it on baby.
Now you can sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top of the potatoes if you like.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Roll out the other half of the pie dough. Transfer to the top of the pie. Fold the crust underneath itself and seal the edges by pressing together. Then if you want, you can use the photo above to see how I crimped the edges. I use one index finger, and then the two first fingers on my other hand and push them against each other....look at the picture, hopefully you can see what I mean.
Use a pastry brush to brush the top of the pie with milk. This is optional.
Use a sharp knife to cut slits in the top of the pie so that it can vent.
Place the pie on a baking sheet, and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.
Take the pie out and cover the edges of the pie. Get a square of aluminum foil about the size of your pie. Fold it in half, then fold in half again. Cut out the center so that when you unfold it, you have a piece of aluminum foil that will cover the edges of the pie, but the center is open to continue browning. Mold it gently onto your pie edges.
Continue baking for another 25 to 30 minutes (Total bake time should be 45-55 minutes.) You will know it is done when the crust is golden brown. Everything inside the pie is cooked, so you're just waiting for the crust to get nice and golden.
Take the pie out of the oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes before digging in. Enjoy!!