Homemade Beef Potpie with Potatoes
Submitted by vina
Homemade beef pot pie, Pennsylvania Dutch style: no baked crust, just handmade dough squares and cubed potatoes simmered with tender stewing beef in its own rich broth. Old-fashioned and hearty.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
READY
5 hrsIf you’re picturing a flaky golden crust, think again. This is Pennsylvania Dutch pot pie, which is really a stovetop stew of homemade dough squares and potatoes swimming in rich beef broth.
The dough is simple: egg, milk and flour worked into a stiff ball, rolled paper-thin and cut into squares that cook up like tender, slippery noodles. The trick is keeping the broth at a hard boil as you drop them in one at a time, so they don’t clump into a sticky mass.
First the stewing beef simmers low and slow until fork-tender, building a deeply savory broth. Then you fish out the meat, add onion and parsley, and layer cubed potatoes with the dough squares right into the bubbling pot. Twenty minutes later the potatoes are soft, the dough plump, and the beef gets stirred back through.
Kitchen Tips
- Roll the dough as thin as you can; thick squares stay gummy in the center instead of turning tender.
- Drop the squares into a hard, rolling boil one at a time so they don’t stick together.
- Don’t rush the beef. A few low hours is what turns tough stewing meat silky and builds the broth’s flavor.
- Add a splash more water if the pot thickens too much during the final simmer; it should stay brothy.
Variations
- Use a whole stewing hen instead of beef for the classic chicken version.
- Toss in sliced carrots or celery with the potatoes for more vegetables.
- For richer dough, use the egg-and-milk version; the broth-only dough is the leaner, traditional alternate.
Ingredients
Directions
Beat egg and add milk, add flour to make a stiff dough. Roll out paper thin and cut in inch squares.
Keep broth boiling while adding dough squares in order to keep them from sticking together.
Alternate dough recipe: Add 4 -5 tablespoons broth to flour to make a stiff dough.
Roll out paper thin and cut in inch squares. Keep broth boiling while adding dough squares in order to keep them from sticking together.
Cook meat in salt water until it is tender ( about 4 hours on low ( 2 ) ).
Remove meat from broth - add minced onion and parsley to broth.
Bring to fast boil and add alternate layers of cubed potatoes and squares of dough.
(See hints and tips below for dough recipe) Cover and cook 20 minutes adding additional water if needed.
Add meat and stir through potpie.
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