Beef Steak Hot Pot

 

I have been craving Beef Stew all week.  It's a winter thing I guess, and having just come through having had a bad cold I was really craving some sort of comfort food.

In the UK they make things called Hot Pots in the winter months.  This is usually with lamb, but I have also seen them made with other meats such as pork or chicken.  This is the ultimate in comfort food.

 

Meat and vegetables layered in an oven proof casserole dish with some stock, and then baked until everything is meltingly tender.  Usually there is a thatch of sliced potatoes on top, but not always.

Today I decided to make myself a hot pot of sorts using some steak I found in my freezer, and why not! I was really pleased with how it turned out as well. This is sized for two to three people, but could certainly be made large enough to feed many more than that.

 

Its not a recipe as much as it is a technique.  Meat it browned and then layered up with a variety of vegetables. A flavor filled stock is poured over top and then the whole thing is baked long and slow until everything melts in your mouth.

You can thicken the juices to make a delicious gravy if you wish. 

 

Its all a matter of using what you have.  I have even seen hot pots made with canned corned beef and baked beans.  Using steak would be at the higher end of the scale!

Delicious, hearty and thrifty, that is the epitome of a classic hot pot, and in these days of having to pinch our pennies, thrifty counts more than ever!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BEEF STEAK HOT POT

I simply used what meat and vegetables I had in my freezer and refrigerator. Using up what you already have is the name of the game! This is by no means a stringent list of ingredients!

• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp oil
• 10 ounces (285g) top round or stewing steak cut into pieces
• 1/2 tsp each garlic powder, salt, black pepper and summer savory (or thyme)
• 1/2 small white cabbage cut into wedges
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and thickly sliced
• 1/3 of a small turnip (rutabaga/swede) peeled and cut into thick half moons
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
• 2 small onions quartered
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 TBS tomato ketchup
• 1 TBS sweet pickle juice or Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TBS HP or other steak sauce
• 1 heaped TBS to thicken the gravy

 

I am not sure what kind of steak I had as I had not marked the package but bear in mind you don't want to use your most expensive cut.  I would suggest a rump or round steak. Any kind of steak which is well suited to braising.

Likewise, your vegetables. Root vegetables braise very well, and I think they taste even better if braised until they melt in your mouth. But I could be alone in that way of thinking. I like to mash them up on my plate and dot them with butter. 

 

Cabbage is especially lovely when braised long and slow for a lengthy period of time. It becomes almost buttery, and it does indeed melt in the mouth.

I love rutabaga, carrots and parsnips.  They work very well in a dish like this.

 

I chose to flavor the stock with a few aromatics, tomato ketchup, HP sauce and some sweet pickle juice. If you don't have sweet pickle juice then you can use Worcestershire sauce, or even leave it out altogether. I happen to like it in any dish like this one.

You will also note that there is not a lot of seasoning in this dish. With aromatics such as the above you don't really need a lot of seasoning. Just make sure you sprinkle some of it on each layer. 

HOW TO MAKE BEEF STEAK HOT POT

Nothing could really be easier. Brown your meat and then layer up your veg and bake. You can thicken the juices at the end for a delicious gravy if you wish.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4.

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy based oven proof casserole until the butter begins to foam. Add the pieces of steak and brown them well on both sides.

Mix together the herbs and seasonings in a small bowl.

Place the onion quarters around the browned steak in the bottom of the casserole. Sprinkle with a bit of the seasoning.

Layer in the vegetables one at a time on top of the steak, sprinkling each layer with the seasoning mixture, and ending with the wedges of cabbage.

Whisk together the beef stock, ketchup, pickle juice, and HP sauce. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Cover the casserole tightly.

Place into the preheated oven. Roast for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the meat and vegetables are tender.

Remove from the oven. Using a slotted spoon remove the meat and vegetables from the juices to a platter. Set aside and keep warm.  Whisk the flour into the remaining juices and cook, whisking constantly over medium high heat until the gravy thickens.

Serve portions of the meat along with the vegetables with some of that delicious gravy spooned over top.

 

This really was delicious.  I always love something like boiled potatoes or mash with this type of a meal.  Today it was boiled potatoes. 

 

 I boiled them in their skins just like my mother always did. Just pick some small to medium sized potatoes and wash them very well. Cover with lightly salted water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until fork tender.

Spear with a fork and peel.  As I was peeling mine, I was thinking of my mother and watching her peel boiled potatoes for our supper. What a sweet memory for me that was.

If you are a fan of long and slow cooking, you might also enjoy the following:

POT ROASTED PORK WITH CABBAGE AND CARROTS -   This Pot Roasted Pork with Cabbage and carrots is one of my favorite meals to cook when the temperatures start dropping and the nights begin to draw in. A long slow braise results in succulent moist pork, tender roasted carrots, butter tender cabbage and a rich gravy that is to die for.

LANCASHIRE HOT POT - If you are a fan of Coronation Street you will be familiar with the pleasure of the Lancashire Hot Pot.  This is as traditional as they get, with layers of lamb, onions and carrots, and a lovely thatch of buttery sliced potato on top. 

Yield: 2-3

Author: Marie Rayner

Beef Steak Hot Pot

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 20 M

Tender pieces of beef with plenty of vegetables cooked long and slow. You can make a delicious gravy with the pan juices. I like to serve this with boiled or mashed potatoes!

Ingredients

• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp oil
• 10 ounces (285g) top round or stewing steak cut into pieces
• 1/2 tsp each garlic powder, salt, black pepper and summer savory (or thyme)
• 1/2 small white cabbage cut into wedges
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and thickly sliced
• 1/3 of a small turnip (rutabaga/swede) peeled and cut into thick half moons
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
• 2 small onions quartered
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 TBS tomato ketchup
• 1 TBS sweet pickle juice or Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TBS HP or other steak sauce
• 1 heaped TBS to thicken the gravy

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4.
2. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy based oven proof casserole until the butter begins to foam. Add the pieces of steak and brown them well on both sides.
3. Mix together the herbs and seasonings.
4. Place the onion quarters around the steak in the bottom of the casserole. Sprinkle with a bit of the seasoning.
5. Layer in the vegetables one at a time on top of the steak, sprinkling each layer with the seasoning mixture, and ending with the wedges of cabbage.
6. Whisk together the beef stock, ketchup, pickle juice, and HP sauce. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Cover the casserole tightly.
7. Place into the preheated oven. Roast for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the meat and vegetables are tender.
8. Remove from the oven. Using a slotted spoon remove the meat and vegetables from the juices to a platter. Set aside and keep warm.
9. Whisk the flour into the remaining juices and cook, whisking constantly over medium high heat until the gravy thickens.
10. Serve portions of the meat along with the vegetables with some of the gravy spooned over top.

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