Ohmagoodness.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day next weekend, I give you this bowl of heaven. The recipe was from the March issue of Food Network Magazine (the CHEESE issue…I mean, honestly). I don’t know how much more I can say that the name of the recipe doesn’t already say a million times over. I made this exactly as directed and froze the rest of the filling and dough for future pie eating. Sometimes you just don’t need to mess with perfection.

To pay tribute to the incestuous and oft-overlooked relationship between Irish and English cooking, and for my Brit husband who will never understand about St. Patrick’s Day, I used this English stout instead of the obvious choice. I thought the label would made me look like I know stuff in the Whole Foods checkout line.

Side note: do you like my new individual pot pie bowls? I’ve been spending time in Williams-Sonoma this week.

Beef Pot Pies with Cheddar-Stout Crust
For the dough:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup grated Irish cheddar cheese (about 3 ounces) **I did use a nice aged yellow cheddar, that’s my only change
6 to 7 tablespoons stout beer
1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the filling:

2 1/4 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup stout beer
3 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces

Read more on Sunday Dinner: Beef Pot Pies with Cheddar-Stout Crust…