Mom B's Hamburger Stew Pot Pie

Yesterday when I came home from work it felt like a fallish afternoon... and we haven't even had any summer yet!! The wind was blowing terrible and it was cold. I had some hamburger that I had gotten out for dinner but hadn't decided what to do with it yet... I was just hungry for Stew with biscuits like my mom used to make on cold days when I was young and I would come home from school starving .... so I thought why not? it's a cold day and I could definitely use a comfort food  and when I looked I hadn't blogged this recipe yet... I couldn't believe it! So that was the deciding factor to make it for dinner. This is kind of a combination of my hamburger gravy and stew. My mom would always make the Bisquick Biscuits and roll out to about 1/2 inch thick and randomly cut pieces from the dough and place randomly on the top of the cooked stew, then brown the biscuits in a hot oven. My kids have always LOVED this recipe... I hope you enjoy!

Mom B's Hamburger Stew Pot Pie

For the Stew:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds lean ground beef

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic (or 1 to 2 cloves, minced)

2 to 3 stalks celery, chopped

 2 to 3 large carrots, chopped

2 medium size potatoes, sliced and diced into bite size pieces

3 to 4 cups water (depending on how much stew you want and how juicy you like it)

3 beef bouillon cubes

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

about 1 teaspoon salt (salt to taste)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper ( or more if desired)

1/4 cup water (to mix with cornstarch before adding to stew)

3 Tablespoons Cornstarch

For Biscuits:

2 1/4 cups Bisquick mix

2/3 cups milk

In a large oven safe pan or pot, brown the hamburger, onion and garlic. I sprinkle a couple of shakes of salt and pepper on my meat while it's browning.

 Drain the grease, then add the chopped veggies and cook for a minute or two more.

Add the 3 to 4 cups water ( you want it a little juicy so your biscuits can soak up the gravy) and bouillon cubes and seasonings, stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then turn down but keep stew

at a simmer and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Taste the stew and and add more salt and pepper if necessary. (Sometimes I like to add 2 or 3 Tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar and a couple of dashes of hot sauce for extra flavor. The hot sauce doesn't make the stew hot, it enhances the flavor though if you just add a dash or two.)

Mix your cornstarch into the 1/4 cup water and whisk out the lumps. Bring your stew back to a boil and add the cornstarch mixture to it while stirring and cook about a minute until it thickens a bit. Turn off heat. Let sit while you make your biscuit dough.

Add the Bisquick and milk together in a large bowl, stir with a fork until just combined. Dump onto lightly floured surface (I use more Bisquick)

and knead by hand just about 10 to 12 times (don't over mix or you will have tough biscuits) Roll out into a large circle about 1/2 inch or a little thicker and cut into random shapes and sizes.

Place pieces of biscuit dough, randomly around the top of your stew to cover (if your pan is large you may want to double the biscuit dough)

Bake in oven for about 8 to 10 minutes or until Biscuits turn a nice golden brown color. Remove from oven, and brush the biscuits with butter.

Let sit for a minute or two so you don't burn your mouth when eating! Serve in a bowl or on a plate and enjoy!!

                                                                          YUM!!