Cowherds Pies Recipes

COTTAGE PIE (OR SHEPHERD'S PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Make mashed potatoes: Add potatoes to a saucepan with 3 inches of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender, about 12-15 minutes.
• Drain the water and leave the potatoes in the pot. Cover with the lid and allow to steam for a few minutes.
• Mash the potatoes lightly with a potato masher (avoid over-mixing the potatoes). Add butter, sour cream, milk, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper and stir just until smooth. Set aside.
• Make the meat filling: In a large, oven-safe* 12 inch skillet with sides, add the ground beef and ground sausage (or ground lamb, to make shepherd's pie). Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook over medium heat until browned, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Drain some of the grease (reserving some in the pan) and remove meat to a plate.
• Add the onion, celery and carrots to the pan and saute for about 5-8 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and flour and toss to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add the beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, herbs and bay leaves and stir to combine.
• Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and add extra seasonings, if needed. Remove bay leaves and stir in frozen peas, corn and cooked meat.
• Assemble the pie: Spoon the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture to completely cover the top. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving, to allow the gravy sauce in the meat mixture to cool and thicken.

COW PIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Using a mixer, cream the sugar and butter until fluffy, scraping the sides once. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a bowl, then add in batches to the mixer, mixing until just combined after each addition. Gently mix in the semisweet, milk and white chocolate chips.
• Using a cookie scoop, add generous 1-tablespoon portions of dough to a baking sheet (about 12 portions). Repeat with the remaining dough and additional baking sheets. Dot the top of each cookie with 2 to 3 chocolate chips if you'd like them to really show up on top. Bake until the cookies are barely done and are still soft and chewy, 9 to 11 minutes. Don't overbake! Let cool on a baking rack.
• Melt the semisweet chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
• Dip the cookies one by one into the melted chocolate to coat, then transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets to set.

COWHERD'S PIES

Steps:

• ---To Make The Filling---.
• Place the meat into a pan, stir over low heat until it is well browned; drain off any surplus fat.
• Add crumbled stock cubes, 12 fluid ounces water, salt, pepper and nutmeg, stir until boiling, reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes, and then remove from the heat.
• Combine extra 2 fluid ounces water and flour, stir or whisk until the flour mixture is smooth.
• Add the flour mixture to the meat, stir until combined.
• Return to the heat, stir until the meat boils and thickens.
• Add soy sauce (to give brown colour), stir until combined.
• Simmer, uncovered, 5 to 10 minutes, and then remove from the heat and allow to become cold.
• ---To Make The Pie Bases---.
• Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.
• Place the water and drippings into a saucepan, stir until the drippings melt; remove from heat.
• Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the liquid, stir until combined.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, knead lightly.
• Roll out the pastry to line eight greased single-serving pie tins.
• Cut the excess pastry around the sides using a sharp knife.
• Fill the centres with the cold meat filing.
• ---To Make The Pie Crusts---.
• Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface, cut out rounds for the tops of pies, using a saucer as a guide.
• Wet the edges of the base pastry, and then gently press the tops into place; trim around the edges with a sharp knife.
• Brush the tops with combined egg-yolk and water.
• ---Down To The Wire---.
• Bake the pies at 425°F for 5 minutes or until golden brown, and thenreduce the heat to 350°F and cook for a further 10 minutes.
• ---The Extra Pies---.
• Freeze unbaked pies individually.
• To cook, allow to thaw completely and bake as above.

AMERICAN SHEPHERD'S PIE (COWHERD'S PIE)

Steps:

• Make the Mashed Potatoes:.
• Peel the potatoes and cut into a large dice. Place in pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to a simmer, cooking the potatoes until a fork inserted in a potato dice causes it to break apart. Drain the potatoes and then return to the pot, adding the cream and butter. Mash the potatoes until smooth then season with the salt and pepper. Add the egg yolk, stirring until well combined. Set the mashed potatoes aside.
• Make the Meat Filling.
• (If you are a confident kitchen multi-tasker, you can prepare the meat filling while the potatoes are cooking to decrease the total prep time on the meal).
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat a large saute pan or dutch oven (for a one-pot meal) over medium-high heat. Add the oil, allow it to heat for a moment then add the onion and carrots. Saute the veggies about four minutes, or until the onions just begin to brown. Stir in the crushed garlic, then crumble in the ground beef and stir to brown. Cook the meat 3-5 minutes, or until the beef is cooked through. Season with the salt and pepper, then sprinkle on the flour, tossing to coat the meat. Cook the floured meat for another minute. Stir in the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme. Allow the mix to come to a boil, stirring to keep the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly.
• If you prepared the meat in a dutch oven or similar casserole you may leave the meat mixture in that dish and continue with the recipe. Otherwise, to bake the dish in a casserole pan spread the meat mixture evenly into an 11" by 7" glass baking dish. The glass baking dish is prone to boil-overs so set it on a foil- or parchment-lined cookie sheet when baking.
• Spread the peas and corn on top of the meat mixture then gently top with the mashed potatoes, starting at the edges and smoothing the potatoes towards the middle of the dish with an offset metal or rubber spatula.
• Place the casserole on a rack in the middle of the oven and backe for 25 minutes, or until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for 15 minutes before serving.

MY MOTHER'S SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• For the potatoes: Peel and cube the potatoes into a 1-inch dice. Put in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Season the water with salt and bring to a boil. Boil the potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and pass through a ricer. Add the milk, sour cream, melted butter and egg yolks to the potatoes and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and reserve.
• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the pearl onions and cook, shaking the pan occasionally so the onions brown on all sides, until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• In a large shallow ovenproof braising pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and rosemary and cook, stirring often, until the onions are slightly browned and soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the lamb is cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste, flour and sherry vinegar and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, peas and carrots and pearl onions and bring to a boil. Spoon off any excess fat. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley.
• Top the lamb mixture with an even layer of the potatoes. For the topping: Drizzle the potatoes with the melted butter and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Transfer to the oven and bake until the potatoes are lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Garnish with additional parsley.

NO-FUSS SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a medium saucepan, then soften 1 chopped onion and 2-3 chopped carrots for a few mins.
• When soft, turn up the heat, crumble in 500g lamb mince and brown, tipping off any excess fat.
• Add 2 tbsp tomato purée and a large splash of Worcestershire sauce, then fry for a few mins.
• Pour over 500ml beef stock, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 40 mins, uncovering halfway.
• Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4, then make the mash. Boil the 900g potato, cut into chunks, in salted water for 10-15 mins until tender. Drain, then mash with 85g butter and 3 tbsp milk.
• Put the mince into an ovenproof dish, top with the mash and ruffle with a fork. The pie can now be chilled and frozen for up to a month.
• Bake for 20-25 mins until the top is starting to colour and the mince is bubbling through at the edges. (To bake from frozen, cook at 160C/fan 140C/gas 3 for 1 hr-1 hr 20 mins until piping hot in the centre. Flash under the grill to brown, if you like.)
• Leave to stand for 5 mins before serving.

REAL SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Brown meat and chopped onion together for about 5 minutes,add stock and simmer slowly,occasionally stirring until cooked,about 20 minutes.
• Mix 2-3 teaspoons of flour or cornflour to a smooth cream with water and slowly add to meat mixture over a low heat stirring continuously until thickened.
• Pour into ovenproof dish and set aside,allowing to cool,depending on the quality of the meat used you should not need to skim the fat,however,this is to personal taste.
• Peel,boil and mash potatoes with salt,pepper,freshly chopped mint if required,and a generous knob of butter.
• Cover the meat mixture with the potato and bake in a medium oven for 30-40 minutes.
• If required dish can be browned under a grill.
• Serve with fresh vegetables.
• I also like thickly sliced fresh bread and butter with my Real Shepherds Pie.