2020 KEEN YOUNG COOK FINALIST: CAMERON JACKSON

Beef Hotpot Pie

"I chose this recipe because it is not an easy meal to make and is a very balanced meal such as vegetables, meat and pastry. There is a wide variety of skills to make this gorgeous meal including chopping skills, blind baking, pastry making, simmering and thickening of the sauce."

Ingredients​ - serves 2

• ​2 tbsp vegetable oil

• ½ onion

• 500g diced braising beef

• 1 beef stock cube

• 2 carrots

• 2 floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper)

• 4 tbsp plain flour

• 1 tsp dried Thyme

• 300g plain flour

• 150g butter

• 20tbsp cold water

• 1 eggs

​Method​

1. Preheat oven to 200c.

2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the onions or a few minutes until turning brown. Add the beef and brown all over for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the flour, mix in well, then add the stock and toss in the carrots potatoes and thyme. Season and bring to the boil.

4. Reduce the heat, simmer for 20 minutes.

5. In a bowl rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.

6. Gradually add the cold water and mix with a palette knife until you can bring the dough together with your hands,

7. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it out to the thickness of a £1 coin.

8. Line the sides of the pie tin with a band of shortcrust pastry and blind bake for 5 mins.

9. Add the pie filling and cut out a pastry circle the same size as the pie tin.

10. Put the pastry lid on the pie and brush it with egg.

11. Bake for 20-25 mins.