As part of a series I’ve created for my ground beef partner Schweid & Sons I present to you NOT BURGERS! In each episode I’ll give you great ideas for what to do with ground beef other than make burgers. Scroll to the bottom to see the video and follow along with this recipe.

Now that the holidays are fast approaching it’s time to impress the family with this one - a homemade ground beef Pot Pie. It’s time to make a real savory pie with fresh ingredients and high quality ground beef. The frozen pot pies you find in the supermarket have nothing on this.

Savory pie has a very long history that some believe may go back as far as 1300 BC in Ancient Egypt. There is evidence that carvings exist in the tomb of RAMSES II in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb is filled with images of food and specifically pies, it’s astounding.

In 16th century Medieval England the pot pie went from being a luxury of the wealthy to beloved by all. To this day the Brits take their savory pies very seriously and can be found everywhere in the British Isles.

Traditionally Beef pot pie is made using chunks of stew beef, but my recipe uses high quality fresh ground beef, which is a lot easier. Other than that, the filling is virtually identical to what you’d find in the classic Beef Pot Pie.

1 - pound Schweid & Sons fresh ground beef

1 - large Russett potato, peeled and cut into 1/2” cubes

2 - carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2” cubes or discs

2 - medium yellow or sweet onion, diced

2 - tbs butter

1 - cup sliced bella mushrooms

1/4 - cup sherry or marsala wine

1/2 - cup white wine

1 - tsp dried thyme

1 - tsp garlic powder

1.5 - cups beef stock

1/3 - cup flour

1 - tbs Worcestershire sauce

1/2 - cup frozen peas

1/2 - cup heavy cream

a few shakes of ground pepper

For the crust, I only use my favorite flaky butter crust recipe from my friend Paula Haney at Hoosier Mama Pie Company in Chicago. You can use store-bought crust but this recipe is so simple people. Just do it! (recipe at the bottom)

Boil the diced potatoes and carrots for 5 minutes, drain and set aside. At same time brown beef in a separate pan, drain fat and set aside as well. Melt butter in the pan and sauté onion until it is just beginning to brown then add the sliced mushrooms, cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the sherry and the wine to the pan, raise heat a bit and cook until the alcohol burns off and the liquid is slightly thickened (about 2 mins). Add the garlic powder and thyme, the cooked potatoes and carrots, and reintroduce the beef to the pan. Next add the Worcestershire, stir and then the flour. Stir the contents gently to coat, then add the beef stock slowly, drizzling and gently stirring until you have a nice thickened sauce. Add a few shakes of ground pepper, the frozen peas and heavy cream, stir and turn the heat off.

Roll out your crust (use the recipe below) and gently lay in a pie plate. Don’t forget you’ll need 2 pieces of dough for top and bottom. Once the filling has cooled slightly add to the pie dish. Use a bit of water, or better some milk, along the edge of the pie crust.. This will help the top seal to the bottom. Gently lay the top piece of rolled dough and using a fork pinch the top and bottom together. Trim excess dough and cut slits for air vents. You can brush the top of the pie with some milk or egg wash (I use milk) for browning. Put into a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. You will know its done when the filling begins to bubble out of the air vents.

Paula Haney’s All-Butter Pie Crust Dough

1 3/4 sticks (196 grams) - unsalted butter, divided

1 tbsp - red wine vinegar

1/2 cup - cold water

2 1/4 cups - all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp - kosher salt

1/2 tbsp - granulated sugar

Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Freeze 5 Tbsp. (70 g) for 20 minutes or overnight; chill the remaining 1 1/8 sticks (126 g) in the refrigerator until ready to use. Stir the red wine vinegar into the cold water and set aside.

Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 5 or 6 times to combine. Add the chilled butter and mix for 25 to 30 seconds, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the frozen butter and PULSE 15 to 20 times, until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Add 6 tablespoons of the vinegar water and pulse 6 times. The dough should start to look crumbly. Test the dough by squeezing a small amount in the palm of your hand. If it easily holds together, it is done. If not, add 1/2 Tbsp. of the vinegar water and pulse 3 more times. Repeat this process as needed until the dough holds together.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead together until smooth; dough should never come together in the food processor. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts and roll each into a ball. Flatten the balls slightly and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator until ready to use, at least 20 minutes but preferably overnight.