minced beef

If you have parchment paper, place a strip, long enough so that it hangs out on each side, in each section of the muffin tin. This will help when you remove the mini pies.

I had planned to share these with my neighbors…. but ended up eating them all – that’s how much I love them! I based both the ground beef filling and creamy mashed potatoes on my recipe for Shepherds Pie, with a few adjustments. – – https://myyellowfarmhouse.com/2013/01/10/shepherds-pie/

Mini Shepherds Pies are easy to make! The recipe calls for purchased pie crust and – if you’re short on time – a 24 oz. container of ready-to-eat mashed potatoes can be used. Making these mini pies is fun and easy – and so is eating them.

Ingredients and Method

1 box refrigerated pie crusts
24 oz. refrigerated mashed potatoes – OR – homemade mashed potatoes
Homemade Mashed Potatoes
5 cups cubed Yukon Gold potatoes ++ Peeled and cut into 2″ chunks
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 – 3 Tbs. butter
1/3+ cup milk or Half and Half ++ I used Half and Half
Ground Beef & Vegetable Filling
1 Tbs. butter or olive oil
1/2 medium-sized onion, chopped ++ About 1/3 cup
1/2 lb. ground (minced) beef ++ I used 80%
3/4 cup frozen corn ++ No need to thaw
3/4 cup frozen peas ++ No need to thaw
1 Tbs. tomato paste ++ Freeze tomato paste in 1 Tbs. portions in a ziploc bag.
1 beef or chicken bouillon cube
1/3 cup water
3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. pepper

Place 5 cups chopped, peeled Yukon Gold potatoes in a medium-sized saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat and cover saucepan. Allow potatoes to simmer for 25 – 30 minutes or until potatoes can easily be pierced with a sharp knife. ++ It’s better to cook the potatoes longer than end up with lumpy potatoes!! I know – Been There – Done That!

While potatoes are cooking, begin beef/veggie filling. Place 1 Tbs. butter In a large non-stick skillet. Add 1/3 cup chopped onion. Cook onions, stirring often, over medium heat until they soften. Add 1/2 pound chopped (minced) beef. Continue to cook until beef loses its pink color. ++ Break up any large chunks of beef. ++ Remove any extra grease, although I leave about 2 Tbs. – for the flavor.

Add 3/4 cup still-frozen corn and 3/4 cup still-frozen peas, 1/3 cup water, 1 Tbs. tomato paste, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/3 tsp. pepper and either a chicken or beef bouillon cube.

Continue cooking, stirring often, for an additional 4 to 5 minutes… until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Set aside.

Now it’s time for the mini-pie crusts. This is fun! ++ Remove the pie crusts from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before so the crusts will be soft enough to work with.

Unroll pie crusts. Roll each crust into a 12″ circle, which only takes a second ’cause the crusts are almost that big already. Using a 4″ circle (I used the 4″ top of a plastic food container – or you could use a piece of cardboard) cut out 12 circles.

Place one pie crust circle in each of the sections of a 12-cup muffin tin. Gently press pie crust to fit.

Bake at 400F for 8 minutes. ++ Lower oven temperature to 350F once you’ve removed muffin tin with bottom crusts from oven.

Finishing the mashed potatoes

Drain cooked potatoes. Mash down with a potato masher. Add 2 – 3 Tbs. butter, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper and approximately 1/3 cup milk – or ‘Half ‘n Half‘ – or Single Cream – and beat with a mixer until the potatoes are creamy but still stiff enough to hold their shape on top of the beef filling.

Putting it all together

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, put a portion of the meat/vegetable filling in each section. Top with 1/4 cup mashed potatoes. ++ If you have extra mashed potatoes, add a bit more to each mini-pie.

Sprinkle with a bit of paprika to give the Mini Shepherds Pies a bit of color. You know, part of finding a particular food delicious is often due to it’s color, so adding a bit of paprika not only makes things taste better but also gives them better eye-appeal. You can also sprinkle on a bit of cheese!

Bake the Mini-Shepherds Pies at 350F for 25 – 30 minutes. Potatoes and crust will be slightly browned.

++ Let stand 10 minutes before serving, which helps the pie crust to not fall apart when you remove the mini-pies. Enjoy !!

++ Recipe adapted from myfridgefood.com/recipes/entree-beef/mini-meat-pies

Please excuse the ‘lousy’ photo. I’ve gotten much at taking photos!!

My new recipe for Shepherd’s Pie was a big hit last night with my “Taste Testers”, who call themselves my “Guinea Pigs”, but they never refuse an invitation to come over to try something new!! And, knowing I was going to have guests arriving gave me a good reason to FINALLY put away the last of the Christmas platters and bowls etc. which had been sitting on my dining room table for two weeks!!

There’s nothing quite like good, old comfort food and, for me, Shepherd’s Pie is up there on the top of the list. This’ll warm the “cockles of your heart”, so to speak. (I just looked up what, exactly, is the true meaning of “warming the cockles of your heart”. And it means – it makes you happy!)

Onions, red wine and just a bit of tomato paste, among other things, gives this Shepherd’s Pie a bit of a “flavor boost”. On top of the beef/vegetable mixture goes creamy mashed potatoes – made with lots of butter and – surprise – an egg! So, break out your potato peeler and your oven-proof skillet, and give this recipe a try. I believe this will end up being one of your family’s favorites!

Oven at 375 F Bakes for about 30 minutes

Oven-proof skillet or 10″ x 13″ pan Servings – Approx. 8

Ingredients

9 cups cubed (cut into 1 1/2″ pieces) raw potatoes, peeled
6 Tbs. butter
1/2 – 1 cup milk
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg
1 BIG onion, chopped – about 1 cup
about 1 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. hamburg / minced beef
1 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. flour
1/4 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups water
1 chicken bouillon cube (I prefer Knorr)
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. pepper – or – to taste
1 1/2 cups frozen peas – still frozen..
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
2 Tbs. butter
2 cups FRESH breadcrumbs
paprika

Place the peeled, cubed potatoes in a large saucepan and add just enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover and lower heat. Allow potatoes to simmer for about 30 minutes – or until potatoes are easily pierced with a sharp knife.

While potatoes are cooking, prepare the meat/vegetable layer. In a large frying pan, add 2 Tbs. olive oil and cook chopped onions over medium heat until they become translucent – about 8 minutes.

++ If you have a large – covered – frying pan which is oven-proof, you’ll be able to prepare AND bake in the same pan!!)

Add the ground beef and continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink. ++ As long as there’s not more than, perhaps, 2 Tbs. of grease in the pan after cooking the beef, just leave it in. Otherwise, scoop out the extra with a big spoon.

Add 1 Tbs. butter and 2 Tbs. flour to the onion/beef mixture. Cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. ++ The addition of the butter and flour helps to thicken the sauce once you add the wine and water.

Add 1/4 cup red wine, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 chicken bouillon cube, 2 Tbs. tomato paste and 1/4 tsp. pepper. ++ You shouldn’t need salt, if you’ve used the Knorr cube, but taste it and see…. add some salt if you wish.

Now add 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and the drained can of whole kernel corn. Continue cooking – and stirring – for another two minutes or so, until the mixture has thickened up a bit. Turn off the heat under the frying pan – and turn on your oven to 375 F.

Now it’s time to mash up those cooked potatoes. I like to start with a potato masher, then give ’em “the big, creamy finish” with an electric mixer. So, mash those ‘spuds’ down ’til there’s no more chunks. Add 2 Tbs. butter, 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper and whip the potatoes with your electric mixer.

++ If the mashed potatoes don’t seem creamy enough, continue adding milk – up to another 1/2 cup – until the potatoes are nice and creamy.

Spread the mashed potatoes – evenly – on top of the meat/veggie mixture.

FOR THE BREAD CRUMBS – In a medium skillet, over medium heat, melt 2 Tbs. butter (I know, I know… this is NOT diet food here….) and throw in 2 cups of fresh breadcrumbs.

++ I make a bunch of fresh breadcrumbs, then put them in a zip-lock baggy in the freezer. Voila – fresh bread crumbs whenever I need them!

Turn off the heat and stir until the breadcrumbs are evenly mixed with the melted butter. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the potato mixture, and sprinkle on a bit of paprika for color. Bake at 375F for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!!!