Individual Sized Beef Pot Pies

Well, I don't know about the weather wherever you may be reading this, but it is FUH-REEZING here!  What this means to me, though, is nice pipping hot and hearty meals that leave everyone feeling warm and fuzzy (and more importantly...full)!  Tonight was beef pot pie.  I have been itching to make this for a while now and finally put my foot down...tonight was the night!  My mom had bought mini casserole dishes a few years ago, and tonight was only the second time I managed to find an excuse to use them.  I really should pull them out of the cabinets more often!  Anywho, the pot pie was a hit all around, and pretty easy to make!  Enjoy!

Individual Sized Beef Pot Pie
Yields 4 hearty servings

To Prepare the Pot Pie
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour a 1/2 cup of flour,  1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper onto a plate, and mix it together. 

3. Begin to heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over low heat in a frying pan. 
4. Dredge approximately 1 pound of stir fry cut beef through the flour, and place it in the pan once the oil it is hot. Don't stir it until it starts to brown and juice!

5. Cut 2 large potatoes, or a hand full of small potatoes into approximately 1 inch by 1 inch pieces, and also 1/3 pound of carrots cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick rounds.  Tonight I used purple, red, and white potatoes that I found at the grocery store. 
6. Boil the potatoes and carrots while you continue to prepare the pot pie. 

7. Prepare your casserole dish with pie crust.  I admittedly do not make my own pie dough...I am horrible at making it!  I cheat and use the pre-made and rolled dough from the grocery store.  I bought 2 packs of the dough, which gave me 4 individual pie crusts.  Press the dough into the casserole dishes, making sure that it is flush with the bottom of the dish first, and then the sides.  Pinch and press to patch any holes that may have happened while maneuvering the dough! KEEP THE EXCESS DOUGH...you will need it later in the recipe!  If you don't have or don't want to use individual casserole dishes, you can use a pie plate, large casserole, or even a loaf pan! 

8. Place your dough filled casseroles in the oven.  If you are using individual size, put them on a baking sheet so they are easy to fish out of the oven later (I learned this the hard way tonight).  They will need to cook a little bit to prevent the dough from being soggy! 
9. By now your meat should be browned and ready, so you can go ahead and take it off of the heat! 
10. Drain the water out of your boiling veggies, and pour the veggies into the meat. 
11. Drain 1 can of corn and 1 can of green beans and add them to the mix!  Normally I would encourage you to use fresh corn kernels and green beans, but I was in a rush tonight!

12. Pour 1 jar (approximately 12 ounces) of beef gravy over the entire mixture and stir it all together!

13. Pull your casserole dishes out of the oven, and fill with the mixture. 
14. Roll out your extra dough and cut into 4 squares that will fit over your casseroles.  I pressed a round cookie cutter through each for the pot pie to vent while it cooked. 
15. Place a square over each pie and press down around the edges, and cut off any major excess pieces!  If you didn't press a cookie cutter through, make a few slits across the top for the steam to escape. 
16. Place them back in the oven and cook for approximately 15 - 20 minutes, or until the top crust is golden brown!