Happy St. Patty's Day!

For the past few years, I've had a tradition of trying to kill my husband for St. Patrick's Day. You may think that sounds a bit harsh and well, rather stupid to admit publicly, but I think saying it is murder would be tough to prove. Technically, he pulls the trigger, I just hand him the gun.

I don't remember when I actually stumbled upon the recipe for Steak and Guinness pie. It's been enough years ago to have actually blurred. I don't know what I was looking for that would have made me find this. I'm not really a big beef eater. I assume I was trying to find some good recipes for a St. Patrick's Day dinner. I found this. And it has been a yearly staple ever since. And when you see the terrible (yes, terrible!) ingredients, you'll see why I only make this once a year. For you see, I do truly love my husband, and I don't want him dead, but he does so love this little slice of meat heaven.

Yes, this recipe has lard. You read it correctly. I really would not make it up. It also calls for Guinness. I have used draught, and it is fine, but a number of recipes I've seen say not to use draught. Not being a beer person, I have no clue why, but it still tastes yummy. I have made this recipe with regular bacon and trust me, you want to use a good quality bacon with flavor, it adds a great deal. Whole Paycheck has a wonderful applewood smoked bacon that is thick sliced. It adds a wonderful flavor. If you use regular thickness, double the amount of bacon. I mean really, can you have too much bacon, and you are using lard, so jump in with both feet!

Steak and Guinness Pie

1 kg Round Steak (2.2 lbs for those who hate to do the conversion)
3-4 T flour
1 T brown sugar
1 T raisins
2-3 medium onions cut into large chunks
300 ml Guinness
4 slices of thick applewood smoked bacon
3 oz lard
Double crust pie pastry

Cut the bacon into 2 inch length pieces. Fry the bacon in a large heavy skillet.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon when it is brown into a dutch oven or doufeu. Add the lard and warm. Brown the onions in the fat until they are nicely golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and add tothe bacon.

Place flour in a ziploc bag. Salt and pepper if you are inclined. Cut the steak into bite sized pieces and place in the bag. I do this in small batches. Brown the meat in the lard and bacon fat. Do in small batches so it browns nicely. Add the meat to the bacon and onion mixture. If you have little brown bits of goodness stuck to your frying pan, add a small amount of the guinness to the pan to scrape it up. Add it to the meat mixture.

Add the raisins, brown sugar, and Guinness to the meat mixture and stir.

Place the pan with the meat into a 325-350 degree oven for 2-1/2 hours. I check it every 45-60 minutes giving it a stir so it doesn't stick. It will make a wonderfuly rich brown gravy. If it seems to be getting dry, add some water or a bit more Guinness to the mixture. You know it is done when the meat falls apart easily (cut with a fork tender).

While the meat is cooking, you can make your pie crust. I use a recpie from Pie and Pastry Bible By Rose-Levy-Beranbaum. I use the all lard crust. So that means another 8 ounces of lard. Yep, another 8. I told you this recipe was brutal! I have used a store bought crust, and while it works, I've like to really do this up as it is a special occassion meal.

Line a deep dish pie crust pan with half the crust. Bake it blind. After it cools, add the meat mixture. Cover with the top layer of the crust and bake until finished. An all lard crust browns more slowly than say a Pillsbury crust, so follow the instructions of your pie dough for browning.

Enjoy! And Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!