Or, mould the mixture into flat cakes; dip these in beaten egg flour, and fry in hot drippings.
The remains of beef à-la-mode are very good prepared in any of these ways. A little catsup and mustard are an improvement to plain cold beef, thus hashed.
Beef-steak Pie.
Cut the steak into pieces an inch long, and stew with the bone (cracked) in just enough water to cover the meat until it is half-done. At the same time parboil a dozen potatoes in another pot. If you wish a bottom crust—a doubtful question—line a pudding-dish with a good paste, made according to the receipt given below. Put in a layer of the beef, with salt and pepper, and a very little chopped onion; then one of sliced potatoes, with a little butter scattered upon them, and so on, until the dish is full. Pour over all the gravy in which the meat is stewed, having first thrown away the bone and thickened with browned flour. Cover with a crust thicker than the lower, leaving a slit in the middle.
Crust for Meat-Pies. ✠
- 1 quart of flour.
- 3 tablespoonfuls of lard.
- 2½ cups milk.
- 1 teaspoonful of soda wet with hot water, and stirred into the milk.
- 2 teaspoonfuls of cream-tartar sifted into the dry flour.
- 1 teaspoonful of salt.
Work up very lightly and quickly, and do not get too stiff.
If you can get prepared flour, omit the soda and cream-tartar.
Beef Pie, with Potato Crust. ✠
Mince some rare roast beef or cold corned beef, if it is not too salt; season with pepper and salt, and spread a layer in the bottom of a pudding-dish. Over this put one of mashed potato, and stick bits of butter thickly all over it; then another of meat, and so on until you are ready for the crust.