Steak and kidney pie is classic British comfort food, and a great goat kidney recipe, which can be intimidating for some people not used to eating offal. If you’ve never had it, or eaten kidneys in general, you’d be surprised how fork-tender braised meat, a little smoky bacon, and rich wild mushroom gravy baked in a buttery crust can transform little-appreciated offal into something even the pickiest eaters will ask for seconds of.
Steak and kidney pie is a rich plate of comfort food.
The secret in the recipe relies on a proportion of ingredients that’s only partially kidney, and making a good, well, seasoned gravy, preferably with some delicious wild porcini mushrooms. Chef Bergo’s version uses all lamb (or goat) products: even down to the bacon that we share a recipe for here. At the end of the day, the recipe is relatively simple-nothing more than a thick brown stew baked under a crust. A homemade crust is preferable, especially made with lamb tallow, (order our grass-fed lamb tallow here) but a store-bought crust or frozen puff pastry is easy to use in a pinch.
The steak and kidney pie filling also freezes very well, and can be made in advance, Chef says it will actually taste the best a few days after cooking, just like many other soups, stews, pates and terrines.
The most difficult part of this recipe is finding high quality kidneys. Shepherd song sells both lamb and goat kidneys frozen immediately after harvesting and vacuum sealed for freshness. But, as we sell to niche markets across the country that value offal, often our demand can occasionally eclipse the supply we can sustainably produce. It’s a problem we love to have, in a market where many sheep and goat organs are thrown away by farmers who mostly sell meat.
A few ingredients, lamb bacon, leg or shoulder, and goat kidneys
The finished steak and kidney pie.
Browning the meat.
Wrapping the meat and gravy in a crust.
This recipe is by chef Alan Bergo. A chef from Minnesota, Alan is a year veteran of the culinary industry, former executive chef of acclaimed Lucia’s Restaurant, and the Salt Cellar. Founder of the website Forager Chef, he’s best known as a respected authority on Midwestern foraging. Learn more about Alan
Chef Alan Bergo
and his hunt for mushrooms, wild and obscure foods at Forager Chef.
Looking to buy lamb or goat online? Shepherd Song Farm: Grass to table. We raise lambs & goats traditionally, humanely and sustainably. 100% Grass Fed, Pasture Raised, Never Confined, no Hormones, Grains or Animal Byproducts. Born, raised and processed in the U.S.A. Good for you and good for the environment.
5cupslamb stockwater can be substituted since the stew meat will make stock as it cooks
All purpose flourfor dredging
Melted lard or cooking oilfor browning the meat
1/2cupoatmeal stoutor similar dark beer
Beaten eggfor washing the crust before baking
Instructions
Pastry Crust
Break or chip the lamb tallow into pieces with a spoon or knife. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the lamb tallow or butter with the flour and salt until it resembles coarse meal. Drizzle in a little cold water until it just comes together then remove, form into a flat disk, wrap in cling film and refrigerate.
Steak and Kidney Filling
Drain the kidneys well and pat dry. Preheat the oven to 325F.
Have two large 12 inch skillets. Warm a few tablespoons of the lard or cooking oil in one pan with the bacon and cook on medium heat to render the fat. Remove the bacon to a bowl. Season the diced meat and kidneys with salt and pepper.
Toss the kidneys and meat in flour. Make sure both large skillets are oiled. brown the meat on high heat, transferring finished meat to the bowl with the bacon. Once the meat has been browned, add the onion to one pan along with some extra oil of the pan is dry, scraping up the browned bits as you stir.
Once the onions are cooked (about 5 minutes) deglaze both the pans with the wine and a splash of stock, scrape up the browned bits, and put all the browned meat and drippings from both pans into the dutch oven along with the thyme.
Cover the pot and bake for 1 hour.
Remove the pot from the oven and transfer the meat and juices to a container. Cool to room temperature, taste the seasoning and adjust as needed, then refrigerate overnight to let the flavors meld. The juices will set up and should be completely firm when cold.
Baking and Serving
The next day, or 1.5 hours before you’d like to serve the pie, preheat the oven to 375, then roll out the crust on a floured sheet of parchment like a pie crust. If you want to make a double crusted pie, there's enough dough depending on the dish you choose, or, you can just roll out a lid.
Put the baking dish you’ll use over the rolled out crust upside down, then cut out the lid leaving ½ inch extra for crimping around the edge of the baking dish. Transfer the steak and kidney stew to the baking dish, cover with the lid, crimp the edges and make a slice in the middle. Brush liberally with beaten egg and bake for 45 minutes at 375, turning up the heat if needed to help the crust turn deep and golden at the end. Allow the pie to rest for 15 minutes before serving as it will be very hot.
Notes
Goat shoulder is the best meat to use, but stew meat can be used in a pinch.