Whether you use ground beef, lamb, or a combination, Shepard's Pie is a scrumptious meat and potatoes meal. I had leftover pot roast, potatoes, and veggies that I needed to transform into a round 2 meal and I remembered enjoying some little Shepard's Pie appetizers from Bj's Wholesale club at a party.
They were pretty good and I like toning down big dishes and desserts into smaller fare. These are quick and simple to make.
In my big boy 9 x 13 Shepard's Pie there is no crust, just crumbly beef in a rich brown red wine gravy, mixed vegetables, herbs, and heaping piles of creamy mashed potatoes!
With these, you have moist pulled pieces of roast, carrots, onions, peas mixed in a thick gravy, nestled inside of a flaky crust, topped with mashed potatoes that have been crisped under the broiler and sprinkled with bright spring onions!
Serve as an appetizer or a meal, along with a salad and a glass of Malbec.
Ingredients
1- 9 inch Pillsbury pie crust (the fold out kind)
3/4 cup of juice from pot roast or 1 cup of gravy if you made that from your roast drippings1/4 cup water and 3 tablespoons of cornstarch (you may not need to thicken the base of your sauce with gravy. You just don't want it to be juicy because it will make the crust soggy)
1/2 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup roast, shredded or cut small
3/4 cup carrots and onions, cut small (I used the leftovers that I cooked with the roast)
3/4 cup frozen peas (I used fresh May peas that I had frozen but store bought will be fine)
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram1/2 teaspoon dried sage
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup mashed potatoes
about 5 tablespoons of spring onions (the green parts only)
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12 regular sized muffin cups with baking spray. Rub with a paper towel to remove access.
Smooth pie crust out and cut into 12 - 4 inch circles using a cookie or biscuit cutter. I used a glass jar. You need them to be larger than the muffin cups because the crust will shrink some in the oven. Gently poke crust a few times with a fork. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned.
While crust is baking, heat gravy over medium heat. Thicken with cornstarch and water, if necessary. Add butter. This lends a nice glisteny finish to the sauce. Stir roast, vegetables, and herbs in and heat through until peas are cooked. Season to taste. Partially heat the leftover potatoes in the microwave. You just want to soften them and give them a head start. Then they will heat the rest of the way in the oven.
Divide mixture between the 12 muffin cups. Top with mashed potatoes and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until everything is heated through. Then turn the oven to broil for a couple of minutes to brown the peaks of the potatoes. Watch carefully as they will burn quickly.
Garnish with green onions and serve immediately.
Comments