So, as everyone is aware, my mom is one of my biggest helps when it comes to figuring out what to make for this blog. She’s been in town the past few weeks and when we were talking about a comforting meal, we immediately went to her beef burgandy. It’s deliciously rich, with whole mushrooms and tender meat, all simmered in a wine sauce. She decided to make it into a pot pie with her flaky pie crust, which is one of her favorite recipes, and I was on board.

When my dad was here last he made his famous chichen nachos, so I thought that my mom needed to make a contribution, too. She made the pot pie while watching The Holiday since she had never seen it before, and I got to sit back with a glass of Burgandy wine while it simmered away on the stove and enjoy her company. I photographed it after she had made it and we dug in. It was delicious. I’ve been super busy since political season has been in gear (I work at a TV station in sales), and after Tuesday it was like I could finally breathe again. It really wore me out, but, I’m happy it’s over, that some good things are coming because of it, and now I can finally take some much-needed vacation days. This comforting meal really helped me get through the last week of it all; it was one of those dishes that I looked forward coming home to after one of those long days.

Beef Burgandy Pot Pie

1/4 cup butter
1/4 olive oil
2 lbs chuck, cut into 2″ cubes
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 1/2 cups Burgandy wine
1/4 tsp pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme, stems removed and minced
1/2 tsp marjoram leaves
1 container of whole crimini mushrooms
1 bag of frozen pearl onions

For the pie crust:
(recipe from Betty Crocker )

1 cup of flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup & 1 Tbsp shortening
2-3 Tbsps ice cold water
Heavy Cream
Flaked sea salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large dutch oven, place the butter and oil and heat over medium high heat. Once melted, add the beef, in batches as to not over crowd the pan and brown on all sides. Repeat with remaining meat and remove. Discard all oil but 1 Tbsp. Stir in the flour and tomato paste until smooth over medium heat. Slowly add the burgandy wine and stir/whisk until smooth. Then, add the cooked beef, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, marjoram, and mushrooms. Stir well. Bake covered for 1 hour. Remove from oven and add in the pearl onions and stir. Place back in the oven, covered, for another 30 minutes or until meat is fork tender and remove.

Meanwhile, make the pie crust to set in the fridge while the beef burgandy is baking.

For the pie crust, mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut in the shortening into the flour until they are the size of small peas. Working one tablespoon at a time, add the cold water (make SURE it’s ice cold!) and combine until the pastry starts to come away from the sides. On a lightly floured surface, turn the ball of pastry out onto it and form into a round, flat disc. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, up to 2 days in advance.

Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, take your pastry disc and roll out on a floured rolling pin into a large circle that is 1-2 inches larger than a 9 inch baking dish. Place the beef burgandy in the baking dish and top with the crust. Trim the overhang and crimp the sides to the dish with either your fingers or a fork. Place a few slits in the top of the pastry to allow steam to vent. Brush the top and edges with heavy cream and top with flaked sea salt. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the beef burgandy is bubbly. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving.