Steak Bakes

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper

Step 2

First, get chopping! Chop your onion as small as you can manage quickly – the odd big bit doesn’t matter. Chop your carrot into a small dice, then you’ll probably want to cut the beef into smaller pieces for an easier bite and faster cook.

Step 3

Place a saucepan on a high heat and add the oil and onions. Cook until the onions have softened and are a little brown – 2-3 minutes. Add the beef and fry on all sides until nicely browned and you don’t see any raw bits. Add the diced carrot, and then top up with water to nearly cover the beef (but not quite). Add the gravy granules.

Step 4

Turn the heat down to medium and leave to simmer until the sauce is REALLY thick and rich – the longer the better, but at least 10 minutes. Whilst that’s going, you can sort the pastry.

Step 5

Cut your ready-rolled pastry in half, with one half being a bit bigger than the other (a pizza cutter really helps). Cut each half in quarters like a windowpane, so you’ve got 4 slightly bigger rectangles and 4 smaller ones

Step 6

Whisk your egg and salt with a fork and use this mixture to brush around the edges of your smaller rectangles. When it is thick enough, divide your beef stew mix between these small rectangles and place the large rectangles on top. Press down hard to seal all around.

Step 7

Brush the top with egg wash and, if you like, make a pretty pattern on top with the back (blunt side) of a table knife. Place in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a dark golden brown on top.

Top Tip:

A steak bake doesn’t have to be steak. You can use exactly the same process to make chicken slices (replace beef and gravy granules with chicken) or vegetable (replace meat with veg and the granules with white sauce).

Enjoy!