The weather's gettin' cooler, and I'm wantin' some pie!!!! Shepherd's Pie, Chicken Pot Pie, Butternut and Acorn Squash Pie...any sort of savory sumthin' sounds delicious to me. In an effort to spread the love of all things savory this time of year, I thought I'd share with you the easy steps to deliciousness. I think sometimes we all forget how easy it really is to make these kinds of things, as long as we know the key points to success. Once you've got those down, you can take any recipe and twist it around just a bit to make it your own!
Tonight's Pie:
Shepherd's Pie.
Ok. First off!
Grocery List:
5-6 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes
4-5 Carrots, diced
1 white or yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 cups lentils (any variety works, I like to use French)
1 lb ground beef (chuck or round both work well, you can also use ground lamb if you'd like)
1 apple, cubed (optional)
cumin
chili powder
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
(sidenote: this always seems to be a good oven temperature when making a savory pie, because the oven is hot enough to properly roast the vegetables, but not so hot that the crust will get burnt)
Peel Potatoes and cut into equal size cubes. Put in a 4 qt saucepan, covering with water by an inch, and bring water to a boil. Boil for about 20 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork.
so. While those is boilin'...
In a small saucepan, boil 2 cups water. Add the:
lentils
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
stir occasionally, until most of the water is gone.
And now for...
The Filling:
Heat in a large skillet 2 tbsps butter. Just as the butter begins to sizzle and brown add:
diced onion
garlic
Once the onion has softened and browned just a little on the edges add:
diced carrots
cubed apple
Sauté for about 5-7 minutes, until there is a nice glaze on the carrots and the apples have begun to get slightly soft.
Add:
Ground beef (or lamb)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala (or cumin)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp pepper
Cook until just browned. Then add to the saucepan the cooked lentils(make sure to drain any remaining water out of your lentils before adding the them to the filling.)
Turn the heat on the stove to low, and simmer while you make your mashed potato topping.
Mashed Potato Topping:
Drain your boiled potatoes and mash as you normally would. I use a stand mixer. I added into my potatoes:
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp cream (optional)
1/4 cup ranch dressing (optional)
Make sure you've added enough milk to get the potatoes to an easy consistency to spread. You don't want them so dry that they're flaky, but also not so wet that they're potato soup.
Putting it all together:
If you're not using the skillet you cooked your filling in to bake your pie in, transfer the filling now. Then take the mashed potato topping and
spread it over top of the filling as if it is icing. You should have a good inch of potato over the filling of your pie. If you wanna get really fancy you can do the following:
1 egg (beaten)
Brush this over the top of the mashed potatoes to create a nice golden crust on the top. Then, over the top of that put a light layer of shredded cheese. I recommend a sharp white cheddar (such as Cabot).
Tonight's Pie:
Shepherd's Pie.
Ok. First off!
Grocery List:
5-6 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes
4-5 Carrots, diced
1 white or yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 cups lentils (any variety works, I like to use French)
1 lb ground beef (chuck or round both work well, you can also use ground lamb if you'd like)
1 apple, cubed (optional)
cumin
chili powder
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
(sidenote: this always seems to be a good oven temperature when making a savory pie, because the oven is hot enough to properly roast the vegetables, but not so hot that the crust will get burnt)
 | ||
Peel Potatoes and cut into equal size cubes. Put in a 4 qt saucepan, covering with water by an inch, and bring water to a boil. Boil for about 20 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork.
so. While those is boilin'...
In a small saucepan, boil 2 cups water. Add the:
lentils
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
stir occasionally, until most of the water is gone.
And now for...
The Filling:
Heat in a large skillet 2 tbsps butter. Just as the butter begins to sizzle and brown add:diced onion
garlic
Once the onion has softened and browned just a little on the edges add:
diced carrots
cubed apple
Sauté for about 5-7 minutes, until there is a nice glaze on the carrots and the apples have begun to get slightly soft.
Add:
Ground beef (or lamb)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala (or cumin)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp pepper
Cook until just browned. Then add to the saucepan the cooked lentils(make sure to drain any remaining water out of your lentils before adding the them to the filling.)
Turn the heat on the stove to low, and simmer while you make your mashed potato topping.
Drain your boiled potatoes and mash as you normally would. I use a stand mixer. I added into my potatoes:
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp cream (optional)
1/4 cup ranch dressing (optional)
Make sure you've added enough milk to get the potatoes to an easy consistency to spread. You don't want them so dry that they're flaky, but also not so wet that they're potato soup.
Putting it all together:
If you're not using the skillet you cooked your filling in to bake your pie in, transfer the filling now. Then take the mashed potato topping and
spread it over top of the filling as if it is icing. You should have a good inch of potato over the filling of your pie. If you wanna get really fancy you can do the following:
Brush this over the top of the mashed potatoes to create a nice golden crust on the top. Then, over the top of that put a light layer of shredded cheese. I recommend a sharp white cheddar (such as Cabot).
Put it in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden, and it is heated throughout.
Now enjoy!!!!
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