Farmerspie 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.

FARMER'S PIE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, brown and crumble sausage for about 5 minutes.
• Add onion and continue cooking until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes; drain.
• Remove from heat; add cheese, broccoli, rice, tomato, and olives; stir well.
• Pour into pie crust.
• In a bowl, combine eggs, cream, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme; mix well.
• Pour over sausage mixture.
• Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake 30-35 minutes or until golden and firm.

BEST CLASSIC SHEPHERD'S PIE RECIPE

Steps:

• Add the oil to a large skillet and place it over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the ground beef (or ground lamb) to the skillet and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and and pepper. Stir well. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the meat is browned, stirring occasionally.
• Add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add the flour and tomato paste. Stir until well incorporated and no clumps of tomato paste remain.
• Add the broth, frozen peas and carrots, and frozen corn. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Set the meat mixture aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with water. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, 10-15 minutes.
• Drain the potatoes in a colander. Return the potatoes to the hot pot. Let the potatoes rest in the hot pot for 1 minute to evaporate any remaining liquid.
• Add butter, half & half, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mash the potatoes and stir until all the ingredients are mixed together.
• Add the parmesan cheese to the potatoes. Stir until well combined.
• Pour the meat mixture into a 9x9 (or 7x11) inch baking dish. Spread it out into an even layer. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat. Carefully spread into an even layer.
• If the baking dish looks very full, place it on a rimmed baking sheet so that the filling doesn't bubble over into your oven. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.** Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

FARMER CHEESE AND THYME PIE

Steps:

• Use a bench scraper to cut butter into ½-inch cubes. (If butter begins to "sweat," dust with flour.) In a large, flat-bottomed bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter cubes and toss to coat with the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour; do not smash or smear the butter. Scrape butter off the pastry blender during the mixing process and continue mixing. (If butter is softening too fast, put the bowl in the refrigerator until butter firms up, 2-5 minutes.) Continue cutting, working quickly, until butter is broken down and looks like a coarse crumble with only a few larger pieces.
• Combine vinegar with water and ice; you'll use 10-12 tablespoons of this liquid in the pie dough. Begin by sprinkling 4 tablespoons of liquid over the flour mixture; use a bench scraper or your hands to incorporate until the mixture begins to come together. Sprinkle in 4 more tablespoons of liquid and continue the mixing process. Squeeze a fistful of dough: if it holds, like wet sand, it's ready. If it falls apart, add 1-2 more tablespoons of liquid at a time, squeezing the dough to check if it holds. Bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of liquid as necessary; dough will look shaggy. Knead in the bowl just until incorporated.
• Turn dough onto a work surface and use a bench scraper to divide dough into two equal pieces. Shape into flat disks and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight. (Note: Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen up to 1 month, tightly wrapped.)
• Crust: Remove one dough disk from the refrigerator. (Save the other one for another pie.) Generously grease a tart pan with butter. Roll the dough into a circle 2-3 inches larger than a 10" pie or tart pan, all the way around. Remove the ring of the tart pan, leaving the only bottom. Lay dough onto the bottom by gently folding the dough in half, then aligning the crease with the center of the pan. Unfold the dough, straighten, then fold the edges of dough towards the center so the bottom will fit inside the ring.Place the tart ring around your forearm; place the bottom on your hand, then bring the ring up to meet it. Unfold the edges of the dough, then fold in any excess dough that hangs over the rim so that the top of the crust is flush with the rim. Use your thumbs to press and flatten the dough into the fluted inner edge of the ring to secure the crust as it bakes. Place in the freezer for at least 20 minutes, or until firm. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Parbake crust: Remove the pan from the freezer and use a fork to prick holes throughout the dough. (This is called "docking," which helps maintain the shape as the crust bakes.) Cover snugly with aluminum foil. Fill the shell with ceramic pie weights; push them toward the edges, which keeps the crust from shrinking as it bakes. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until the crimped edges are set but not browned. Remove from the oven and lift the foil and pie weights out of the shell. Let the shell cool. Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees F.
• Filling: In a mixing bowl, combine farmer cheese and milk. Stir well to remove large lumps. Add honey and salt, and stir well. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl, add to cheese mixture, and whisk until well blended; then stir in thyme.
• Assembly: Pour the filling into the shell and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35-40 minutes.
• Pie is finished when the edges are set and puffed slightly and the center is no longer liquid, but still somewhat wobbly. (The filling will continue to cook and set out of the oven.) Cool completely. To serve, remove outer tart ring and place on another platter; serve at room temperature or chilled.

FARMER'S PIE (VEGETARIAN SHEPHERD'S PIE)

Steps:

• MASHED CAULIFLOWER TOPPING: Steam or microwave cauliflower until fork tender.
• Place in food processor and add Molly McButter, garlic powder and salt & pepper.
• Process until it has a mashed potato-like consistency.
• VEGETABLE BASE: In a large skillet combine red pepper, celery, onion, mushrooms and worcestershire sauce.
• Cover & cook until veges are soft.
• Add bouillon cube, water and ground beef crumbles.
• Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Whisk flour w/ 2 Tbls water & stir into skillet to thicken sauce.
• Pour vege base into casserole dish & top w/ mashed cauliflower.
• Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
• Broil to brown the top.
• Enjoy!