Big accomplishment here at LLP you guys! After 3 years of 3.14 coming and going without any of us realizing the important date we finally REMEMBERED that it was Pi(e) Day! A foodie holiday! Well, better late than never, right? Right!
Usually when I think of pie I think of dessert, specifically french silk pie. I think that’s pretty much the best pie ever. But today we’re mixing it up a bit. Shepherd’s Pie!! I don’t know whether Shepherd’s Pie is British or Irish but I’m guessing that it’s one of the two. In anticipation of St. Paddy’s Day next week we’ll just say this is an Irish dish!
To be completely honest…for 20 something years of my life shepherd’s pie didn’t seem appetizing to me. Mainly because having every component of your meal cooked together into one bite is weird to me. Like weird in a bad way. BUT in recent months my taste buds have completely changed and I have been craving shepherd’s pie. How do you crave something you’ve never even had?! Anyways, I threw out the idea of a savory pie for pi day and Kara was game.
Total success. Shepherd’s Pie is awesome! I have been missing out all these years. I will definitely be making shepherd’s pie again!
Happy Pi day everyone….and even better….Happy Friday!
Here’s what you’ll need
Brown the meat then add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and thyme
Add the flour then cook for an additional minute
Then add the stock, paste and worstershire
Spoon everything into a baking dish
Mash up the potatoes and parsnips, with butter, s&p of course
Add a layer of frozen peas on top of the meat layer. They’re great for color!
Now for the potato layer
Top with a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Then into the oven!
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- ¼ cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 potatoes peeled and chopped
- 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 heaping tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
- Heat a large saute pan and add the ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Brown for 5-6 minutes.
- Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery and thyme and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
- Pour the beef stock into the pan, then the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste. Stir everything together. Season with salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- While the meat is simmering, cook the potatoes and parsnips in a large pot of lightly salted water. This will take 15 minutes or so; use a fork to check if the potatoes are tender. Drain them, then mash together with butter and pinch of Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and plenty pepper.
- Spoon the beef mixture into a baking dish (ours was 9×9). Sprinkle peas on top of the beef layer. Last, top with the potato mixture, smoothing it evenly with the back of a spoon or spatula.
- Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top of the mashed potatoes then place in an oven preheated to 400 degrees F. Bake for 8-10 minutes until slightly golden on top.
