4 Meat n Potato pies. One of the best pies you'll ever taste.

butter

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Olive oil reduces saturated fat while maintaining flavor.

beef broth

🥗Healthier: vegetable broth

💰Cheaper: water + bouillon

Vegetable broth is lower in calories and can be made easily.

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Ground turkey is leaner, while ground pork is often less expensive.

pie crust

🥗Healthier: whole wheat crust

💰Cheaper: homemade crust

Whole wheat adds fiber, and homemade can save money.

Start by making the meat and potato pie filling in a frying pan or wok.

Add half of the olive oil from the ingredients list to the pan and heat it up.

Once hot, add the diced beef and stir-fry until it has some color, about 3-4 minutes, then set aside.

In a separate medium-sized saucepan, add the remaining olive oil and heat it up.

Once hot, add the diced onions and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until they start to soften.

Add minced garlic to the onions and stir for a minute.

Return the cooked beef to the pan, including any juices, and mix well.

Add 300 ml of beef stock (using two beef stock cubes) to the mixture.

Stir in the tomato purée, 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, adjusting salt to taste.

Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and two bay leaves to the mixture.

Cover the pan and let it simmer for 1 hour.

After 50 minutes, add the diced potatoes to the filling and stir.

Bring the mixture back to a simmer and finish cooking for the remaining 10 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves after simmering.

To thicken the filling, mix corn flour (cornstarch) with cold water and stir it into the filling until it thickens.

Turn off the heat and let the filling cool completely before using it, ideally overnight in the fridge or cool it in a sink of cold water for about 30 minutes.

To make the hot water crust pastry, put water in a small saucepan over low heat and add lard and butter.

Heat until all fats have melted, then mix flour and salt in a large bowl, forming a well in the middle.

Pour the hot liquid into the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until combined.

Turn the mixture out onto a bench and knead it until it comes together, then divide into three pieces and wrap in cling film.

Chill the pastry in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Grease 5-inch individual pie tins with lard or vegetable fat.

Roll out the pastry using a rolling pin, dusting with flour as needed, until it reaches the required thickness.

Cut out bases for the pies (approximately 17 cm or 6 1/2 in) and lids (approximately 14 cm or 5 1/2 in) using pastry cutters.

Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F or gas mark 3).

Make an egg wash by whisking a large egg with a dash of milk until it runs off the whisk as a loose liquid.

Assemble the pie by placing the base pastry in the greased pie tin, pressing it down into the corners.

Trim the excess pastry over the lip of the tin and dock the base with a fork to prevent bubbling.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens