The final Game of Thrones season promises to be epic. Celebrate with some equally epic recipes adapted from A Feast of Ice & Fire, the official Game of Thrones cookbook. As winter is now upon the Seven Kingdoms, we’re turning to Winterfell cuisine as an ideal way to warm up. This Beef and Bacon Pie is a perfect dish for feeding viewing party crowds, and as an added bonus can be prepared in advance.
As Tyrion or Cersei would agree, a dinner in the Seven Kingdoms is nothing without wine. Beef and Bacon Pie is essentially beef stew in pie form, so we’re pairing its rich, savory flavors with a Bordeaux. Bordeaux’ structured tannins, savory acidity, and depth of dark fruit meld perfectly with meat pie.
A Feast of Ice & Fireincludes both a medieval and a modern-day version of Beef and Bacon Pie. The medieval version seemed a bit heavy on crust, with both a bottom and top crust. So, we opted for the modern day version which puts an interesting twist of turning the bacon in the filling into the crust on top.
Note: Medieval food isn’t exactly known to be particularly healthy. White flour, butter, and bacon abound; whole grains and veggies do not. So, we’ve created our own healthified take on the Game of Thrones Beef and Bacon Pie. Feel free to take these alterations or revert to the more indulgent medieval version — we won’t judge!
Winterfell Beef and Bacon Pie (Healthy Version, adapted from A Feast of Ice & Fire)
- 12 strips turkey bacon (or regular bacon if you prefer)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1/2 medium sweet potato, diced
- 1.5 pounds stew meat, diced small
- 2 tbsp oat flour (or regular, all-purpose flour if you prefer)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 pie crust (recipe below)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Form a bacon weave: Lay six slices of bacon vertically on a baking sheet. Fold every other slice in half. Place a seventh slice horizontally against the backs of the folds, and then unfold the folded slices. Repeat for remaining slices until weave is complete. If the weave looks larger than the pie, don’t worry — it will shrink when baking.
- Crisp the bacon weave by placing it in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
- On a stovetop on medium heat, melt butter in a pan. Then, add onion, carrot, and potato and sautée until onions are golden.
- Coat beef evenly with flour. Lower heat to low-medium and add beef to pan. Continue stirring until beef is browned.
- Add broth, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Simmer until mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
- Roll out pie crust and let it drop into the pan. Leave any extra dough around the edges. Add filling into pie and place bacon on top. Fold the dough from the sides over the edges to form a crust.
- Bake until golden, about 40 minutes. Note: If making ahead, wrap pie unbaked for up to one day.
- Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Pair with a medium- to full-bodied red wine such as Bordeaux, Languedoc, or Rioja Crianza.
Healthy Pie Crust Recipe
- 3/4 cup whole wheat or oat flour, chilled
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, chilled
- 1/2 cup butter, chilled and cubed
- 1/4 cup ice water
Instructions
- Combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until texture resembles coarse crumbs (we used a cheese grater to make things easier).
- Stir in water by the tablespoon. Stop adding water when mixture holds together like a dough.
- Roll dough into a 1 inch thick disc, and then wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 4 hours, up to 2 days.
This combination looks interesting ) To me the pie demands something slightly masculine than Chateau d’Arsac but there definitely is a good chance