Cowherds Pies Recipes

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.

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.

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.

SKILLET SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the corn, peas, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook for 5 minutes., Combine the cornstarch, bouillon and water until well blended; stir into beef mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir until thickened, 2 minutes. Stir in sour cream and heat through (do not boil)., Spread mashed potatoes over the top; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook until potatoes are heated through and cheese is melted. Freeze option: Prepare beef mixture as directed but do not add sour cream. Freeze cooled meat mixture in a freezer container. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a large skillet, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if necessary. Stir in sour cream and proceed as directed.

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.