Monday 12 December 2011

Grandma's Sea Pie


This recipe is the beef version of something my Grandmother used to make when I was a child with leftover lamb.   For some obscure reason, which I have never got to the bottom of, it was called Sea Pie.   

This is one of my absolute favourite dishes, and my regular way of using up leftover cooked meat.  I have recently started making it with beef as my hubby doesn’t like lamb very much.  I love this dish so much that I always cook more meat than I need, just so that I can make this with the leftovers.   

Quantities will vary depending on how many people you want to feed, and indeed how much leftover cooked lamb or beef you have but what I used for one person was:

1 quantity of cooked leftover beef (this particular leftover was frozen from a brisket pot roast I made a few weeks ago)
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into quite thin slices
1 large onion, peeled and cut into slices
A sprig of rosemary washed and chopped finely (you could use thyme if you prefer)
Salt and pepper to taste
1tb flour
½ pint or so of beef stock (if you are using leftover lamb, use lamb stock)

Cut the leftover beef into strips or small chunks and toss in the seasoned flour.  Place in layers in your casserole dish as follows : meat, onion, rosemary, potatoes, season, meat, onion, rosemary, then toss in the dregs of any leftover flour and then pour over the stock, you want enough stock to come two thirds of the way up the dish.  Finally add the top layer of potato slices and cover either with a lid or with foil.

Bake at 180oC for an hour, uncovering for the final 15 minutes so that the top layer of potatoes can brown.

4 comments:

  1. This looks very interesting. I haven't cooked with lamb but do use beef and I will certainly book mark this recipe and try it later..I love potatoes so topping them with some looks really yummy! Thank you so much for sharing! I love Grandma's ideas..

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  2. Thank you MJ. This is one of those recipes that I've returned to over and over again over the years. It's very simple to make, but tastes absolutely delicious. I hope you enjoy it!

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  3. This looks just terrific! This may be my new favorite. Come visit us. We have a terrific crockpot recipe this week.

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  4. it is called sea pie because it was first made by the royal navy in ww2, before being made more widely by the royal army catering corps to feed the troops. the top layer was made of dumpling, and it was cooked in massive pots over improvised stoves. probably didnt taste as good as your grannys though!

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