Crossword Genius

Casserole reduced by a pound: a bargain (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

steal

'a bargain' is the definition.
('steal' can be a synonym of 'bargain')

'casserole reduced by a pound' is the wordplay.
'casserole' becomes 'stew' (I've seen this before).
'reduced' means to remove the last letter.
'by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'pound' becomes 'l'.
'stew' with its final letter taken off is 'ste'.
'ste'+'a'+'l'='STEAL'

(Other definitions for steal that I've seen before include "Take unlawfully" , "Pilfer" , "Snatch" , "Shoplift" , "Whip" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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