This easy pie replicates the flavours and textures of a Cornish pasty, using plenty of ground black pepper, potatoes, onions and swede for a comforting winter bake. It takes around an hour in total, but only half of that is hands-on, and it freezes and reheats well too.
Based on 4 servings, adjust as needed.
Prep the veg: roughly dice the onion, then cut the swede and potatoes into 0.5cm rough slices before roughly chopping those slices to small chippings, like you’d see in a cornish pasty. Try to make sure they are all the same size and no bigger than a 5p piece so they cook in the allocated time.
In a large, lidded cold frying pan, tip in your beef mince without any oil, and bring it up slowly to a medium heat, which will render the fat out. Stir well to break up the mince until the mince is browned all over. After 10 minutes or so, using a slotted spoon, remove it to a separate bowl and leave the fat in the pan. Sweat the onions in the remaining beef fat, with a teaspoon of salt, the herbs, and a very generous grinding of black pepper until soft.
Meanwhile, place the potatoes and swede in a pan of cold, salted water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, cook for 5 minutes before draining and leaving to steam.
Now tip in your parboiled potatoes and swede into the onions, sprinkle over the flour and stir everything together. Add the cooked mince back in, then pour over the beef stock and the Worcester sauce and hp sauce . Put a lid on and simmer this for around 25 minutes while you heat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C and do a spot of light tidying.
Transfer the filling to a rectangular oven-safe dish (20x30x5cm does the trick for me), and unfurl your pastry over the top of it. You can either tuck the pastry down underneath the filling or crimp a design around the edges. Trim any excess. Glaze the whole thing with beaten egg, then bake at 200° fan for 35 minutes, or until burnished, bubbling and delicious.
Serve with peas or greens, and ketchup or HP sauce, if you’re a heathen.