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Lamb Pies ​

Intro ​

These were about my third attempt at lamb pies, the first two were pretty okay but the inner stuff was way too runny. I think I got it right this time, but maybe next time I should add Onion.

"Cooked Lamb Pies"

Equipment ​

  • A slow cooker
  • A pot (that will fit the contents of your slow cooker when done)
  • A pie dish or pie dishes depending on what you want to make.

Ingredients ​

  • Bone broth (I used chicken because I'd made some from scratch). Say about 500ml
  • Lamb - ideally something steak like without a ton of fat (some is good, just don't go crazy) - ideally around 300-500g
  • Garlic - 3-5 cloves depending on how much you like garlic
  • Salt
  • Rosemary
  • Short Crust pastry
  • Puff pastry
  • Beef gravy mix - enough for at least 250ml of gravy. Consider more depending on how your broth turns out.
  • Corn starch

Directions ​

  1. Add the lamb, bone broth and garlic to the slow cooker pot. Slow cook the lamb with the bone broth for ages... I let it go for about 16 hours (had to wander back out and set the slow cooker to low again as it didn't like doing more than 10).
  2. Add salt and rosemary to the broth for a bit of extra taste.
  3. Mix and add your gravy - match to the level of liquid in your slow cooked stew.
  4. Transfer the mix to a pot - the next step will require higher heat, but let it cool for say 20-30 minutes first.
  5. Mix the corns starch gradually with cold water until it's completely dissolved. Then gradually pour it into the mix and stir - trying to avoid it creating any clumps.
  6. Once its all mixed together, cook on a high heat, stirring regularly until the mix thickens. When done, let the mix chill in the fridge - we're aiming for a temp that isn't going to melt or otherwise ruin your pastry.
  7. Use the short crust pastry to line your pie tins, then add in the mix - don't overfill - expect this to expand a little.
  8. Use the puff pastry for pie covers, make sure to leave at least one gap for air to escape, and join the edges of the short-crust and puff pastry with a fork.
  9. Using a beaten egg, paint the top of the pies for a bit of extra colour.
  10. Bake at around 220 C for 20 minutes or until the puff crusts are visibly puffed and golden, then cook at around 180 for 20-40 minutes to ensure the filling is well cooked.

That's about it - enjoy!

Tips ​

  • If you have left over filling, I found adding a small teaspoon to puff pastry and twisting it together made for a nice snack.
  • I suspect that frying up some brown onions and adding them to the mix would add some great flavor as well... something to try next time.