Beef and Stilton Pasty

Ingredients

• 1 pound beef stew meat , cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
• 2 medium white potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup stout
• 1/2 pound stilton, crumbled
• 1 recipe pie dough
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions

1. Set your oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Warm the vegetable oil in a large stainless steel skillet over high heat until it shimmers, then add the meat. Let it cook undisturbed until the first side is deeply browned, about 4 minutes. Turn the pieces with tongs and keep cooking until the beef is browned all over, about 12 minutes total. Move the meat to a large bowl and set it aside.
2. Put the skillet back over medium-low heat. Add the butter and let it melt, then stir in the onions and thyme. Cook, stirring often and using a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the pan, until the onions have softened, about 10 minutes. Add the diced potatoes and stout, then cover the skillet with a lid. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes.
3. Transfer the potato mixture to the bowl with the beef and let everything cool to room temperature. Once cooled, stir in the crumbled stilton. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
4. Roll the pie crust to 1/4-inch thickness. With a 4-inch round pastry cutter, cut out as many circles as you can, then gather the scraps, press them into a ball, re-roll the dough, and cut more circles. You should have 8 circles total. Divide the filling evenly among the crusts. Brush the edges with beaten egg, fold the crusts over the filling, and crimp them closed with a fork. Arrange the pasties on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining beaten egg, then use a sharp knife to cut a few air vents in the top of each pasty. Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Let them cool for five minutes, then serve.