Beef Pot Pie from Leftover Roast

The roast I made on Sunday is stretching a lot farther than I expected. Some folks might see this as boring leftovers, but I see it as almost-free meals and a break from the kitchen. I love to cook, but I enjoy a break from it now and then.

Sunday we ate the meat as traditional roast beef with potatoes and carrots. On Monday I used some of the meat, veggies and broth to make a beef pot pie. We ate pot pie again last night, so I'll be moving the steak dinner I had planned to next week's menu. There is still a large piece of pot pie left that I'll probably eat for lunch today and tomorrow.

I still have some meat, veggies and little broth left in the fridge. I think the potatoes and carrots will end up in my "soup jar" in the freezer, but I'm not sure what I'll do with the bits of beef. I'm thinking of adding it to some tomatoes and fresh basil to make some kind of beef bruschetta, or I might use it to "beef up" the meatless pasta dish I have planned for tomorrow night.

Meanwhile, here's the "recipe" for the pot pie. It's more method than recipe; I just threw things together and estimated how much as I was writing it down for the blog. I used my "never fail" pie crust. It has an egg and a tablespoon of vinegar in it. I'm not sure just what they do to enhance the crust, but it truly never fails.


Annie's Beef Pot Pie

Filling:

1 stick butter
3/4 cup flour
4 to 5 cups beef broth (leftover from roast beef*)
Kitchen Bouquet or other browning sauce (optional)
1 cup cooked potatoes and carrots (leftover from roast beef)
2 cups chopped cooked roast
odds and ends from fridge (I had about 1/4 cup green beans and 1/2 cup corn)

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently, for several minutes until flour just starts to brown.


Add beef broth, stirring constantly. While continuing to stir, bring to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. (I find it helpful to remove pan from heat to do the stirring, then return it to the heat to cook and thicken it.)


Stir in cooked meat and vegetables. The filling might look a little pale at this point. Stir in browning sauce to achieve a more appetizing color. Set filling aside until crust is made.


Line a 9x13 glass baking dish with crust. Add filling, then top with crust. Seal edges and cut vents. Bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes or until crust has browned as desired. Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.


Crust:

2 cups flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1-1/2 cups all-purpose)
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cold butter, sliced into pieces
6 tablespoons ice cold water
1 egg
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar

Combine flour and salt, then cut butter into flour until mixture resembles small crumbs (I use a food processor for this).

In a small bowl, beat egg with water and vinegar.

Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms. Roll dough on well-floured surface.

After making pie, collect any scraps and leftover dough together. Wrap with plastic wrap and freeze for future use.

*Instead of using the oven, I made the roast in the Crock Pot and had a LOT of broth since so little of it cooked away. You can use canned broth if necessary, but you may need to season the filling with additional salt, pepper, thyme, etc.