West Virginia Shepherds Pie Recipes

SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
• Place the beef, baking soda, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1 tablespoon of water in a medium bowl. Mash with your hand to combine. Set aside for 20 minutes.
• While the meat tenderizes, place the potatoes in medium saucepan and add just enough cold water to cover them. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are soft and fork-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat and stir the potatoes with a wooden spoon or potato masher until they are dry and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sour cream, butter, half & half, and the remaining teaspoon of salt. Using a potato masher, stir and mash the potatoes with the other ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Set the mashed potatoes aside.
• Heat a 12-in oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the onions and carrots to the bacon fat and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the wine and increase the heat to high; bring to a boil, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced by about half. Add the flour and stir until dissolved. Add the reserved ground beef mixture, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce; continue cooking on high heat, breaking the meat apart with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth; bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cook, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the thyme, pepper, peas, and reserved bacon, and cook until the peas are warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
• Dollop the mashed potatoes evenly over the filling. Use a rubber or offset spatula to spread the potatoes evenly over the stew and all the way to the edges of the skillet. Drag a fork across the top to make ridges. Place the skillet on a baking sheet or large sheet of foil to catch any drips and bake until the filling is hot, the topping is lightly browned, and the edges are bubbly, about 30 minutes. (For more color, turn on the broiler and broil for the last 5 minutes, or until the top is golden.) Sprinkle with chives and serve.
• Note: If you don't have an oven-safe skillet, you can transfer the meat mixture to a 2.5-qt casserole dish and then spread the mashed potatoes overtop.
• Make-Ahead Instructions: The stew portion of the recipe can be made several days ahead of time and refrigerated. Before assembling the pie, reheat the stew, adding a little broth if necessary if it seems dry. The mashed potatoes should be made right before assembling and baking the pie.

EASY RUSTIC SHEPHERD'S PIE WITH THE CHEESIEST MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• potatoes: boil the potatoes in a large pot of salted water until fork tender. Sometimes I'll throw in a couple cloves of garlic in with the potatoes too. Drain, mash and mix in the remaining mashed potatoes ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• cook the meat and veggies: heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground lamb and crumble the meat using a wooden spoon. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the meat browns, drain any excess grease leaving just 1 tablespoon. Add the mirepoix and season the veggies with a small pinch of salt and allow the veggies to cook down until translucent, about 7-9 minutes. Add the garlic and let cook another 30 seconds or until fragrant.
• beef gravy: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425ºF. Sprinkle the ground meat mixture with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cornstarch, stir to combine and let cook for 15 seconds before adding the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, herbs, bay leaf, and beef stock. Allow the gravy to come to a simmer before reducing the heat to low and letting it simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the herbs, stir in the peas, taste and adjust with salt and pepper as desired.
• bake and serve: Drop large dollops of the prepared mashed potatoes on top of the beef gravy then smooth out gently. Bake for 15 minutes then, finish it under the broiler if you want it to be golden brown on top. Let cool for several minutes before serving.

WEST VIRGINIA SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Place potatoes and parsnips in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain; mash potato mixture. Add the milk, butter, salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; mash until combined., In a large bowl, combine the eggs, mint, rosemary, Worcestershire sauce, allspice and remaining pepper. Crumble lamb over mixture and mix well., In a large skillet, cook onion and celery in oil over medium heat until tender. Add lamb mixture; cook and stir until lamb is no longer pink; drain., Place lamb mixture in a greased 11x7-in. baking dish; sprinkle with peas. Spread potato mixture over peas. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

THE BEST SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the topping: Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Season with 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the saucepan.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, thyme and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and tender, about 15 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it turns brick red, about 8 minutes. Add the lamb, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, about 7 minutes.
• Stir in the peas. Stir in the flour until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the broth and Worcestershire and cook until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• To finish the topping, melt the butter in the large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cabbage and leeks and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the heavy cream, 1 tablespoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper, and cook until warm, about 1 minute. Return the potatoes to the pan with the cabbage and add the cheese. Mash with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the egg yolks.
• Transfer the filling to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the topping, swirling to create texture. Make sure that the sides are sufficiently covered so the filling doesn't leak through. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the top is lightly golden, about 35 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

BEST SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mash potatoes with sour cream. Add salt and pepper; set aside. In a large skillet, cook beef with onion and red pepper until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir garlic salt into meat mixture. Stir in the soup, corn and milk. , Spread meat mixture into a 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes; drizzle with butter. , Bake, uncovered, until heated through, 30-35 minutes. For additional browning, place under broiler for a few minutes. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet cook the meat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate. Drain any fat remaining in the skillet.
• Heat the oil in the skillet over a medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, covered, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Raise the heat to moderately-high. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and their liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes longer. Return the meat to the pan. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper and bring to a simmer being sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the peas. Pour the mixture into a 12-cup shallow baking dish (about 11 by 9 inches).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Scrub the potatoes and cut into 2-inch pieces. Arrange the potatoes in a steamer basket, and steam for 10 minutes. Add the cauliflower to the basket and cook until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 15 minutes longer. Mash the vegetables with a potato masher until smooth. Heat the milk, butter, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper and stir into the potato mixture.
• Spread the potato mixture on top of the meat and bake until heated through, about 25 minutes.
• Excellent source of: Protein, Fiber, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Folate, Vitamin K, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Potassium, Zinc
• Good source of: Thiamin, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus

WEST INDIES SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Potatoes
• Place potatoes in a large pot and pour in water to cover by 1"; season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until fork-tender, 10-12 minutes.
• Drain potatoes and return to pot. Add garlic, milk, butter, pepper, and 1 tsp. salt. Using a potato masher or pastry cutter, mash potatoes until smooth. Cover and set aside.
• Filling and assembly
• While potatoes are cooking, mix chicken, scallions, lime zest, habanero, bitters, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl with a fork to combine. Let sit 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°. Heat oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium. Add chicken mixture and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon and stirring often, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato, carrots, ginger, ketchup, thyme, and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as needed to maintain a simmer, until filling is thickened slightly and carrots are softened, 10-12 minutes.
• Transfer filling to a 3-qt. baking dish and spread into an even layer. Spoon reserved mashed potatoes over and smooth into an even layer; sprinkle cheese on top. Bake shepherd's pie until filling is bubbling around the edges and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.
• Heat broiler. Broil pie until cheese is beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.