Beef Vegetable Pot Pie

I must confess I don't know that I've ever made a beef pot pie, although I've probably made the chicken pot pie on this site over a hundred times!  I found it in Country magazine about 20 years ago.  It is so delicious, it's the one and only pot pie recipe I've ever tried.  So my hubby and I made the mistake of buying a whole cow for our freezer, with our children still being fairly young, and we're going to have beef 'til the cows come home!  :)  To some, that may be a good thing, but for a gal like me who thrives on variety, it's a little much!  So I slow cooked a bunch of round steak and came up with this variation of the chicken recipe.  It was outstanding-the kids loved it!  I have to say the bouillon (Better Than Bouillon brand beef) probably makes all the difference in the world.  I can't stand the heavy salt taste in most bouillons, it completely masks the flavor of the dish you're making.  I've included approximate amounts for the veggies, but keep in mind you can be flexible with amounts depending on how much gravy you want.  I use frozen mixed vegetables but also add some cooked diced potato-potato in a pot pie is a must!  The great thing with these pot pies is they freeze well too-just thaw a little and pop in the oven.

1 cup each peas, carrots, and diced
cooked potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 ground sage
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup milk
3 teaspoons beef bouillon
2 cups water
3 cups cubed cooked round steak
1 double-crust pie pastry

Cook frozen vegetables, drain and set aside.  In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; saute onion until tender.  Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, sage and allspice; stir constantly with a whisk.  Combine milk, bouillon and water.  Slowly pour into saucepan, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Cook and stir until mixture boils.  Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes.  Add beef and all vegetables and combine well.  Pour into individual casserole dishes or a 9x13 baking dish.  Roll out pastry and cut into circles for casseroles or a rectangle for the baking dish; place on top of filling.  Bake at 425 degrees until golden brown and bubbling (about 15 minutes for individual, or 30 minutes for the dish.)