Aki's Kitchen - Recipes

Beef Sheppard's Pie

Main Meals

1

Your 'not-so-typical' Beef Sheppard's pie, made with a potato crust and top.

Note: To avoid unnecessary oven cleanup, line a jellyroll pan with foil paper and then set the prepared pie on it, since oil will drip out of the side of the springform pan. It's easier to cleanup a jellyroll pan than it is to cleanup your oven's floor and rack.

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef 2 medium onions, finely chopped 2 tbsp oil 2 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots 1- 12 oz. can of corn 4 tbsp all-purpose flour, not leveled, just take out of the flour jar 3/4 - 1 cup water 3 - 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, or according to your taste 3 tbsp Soya sauce 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp chicken or beef base paprika, optional 3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped 3 large potatoes 1/2 cup oil, for frying	5 cups mashed potatoes, your favourite recipe or store-bought paprika an extra 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped 2 - 3 cups of your favourite gravy
	Tools & Equipment:
	medium size pot large nonstick pot large nonstick frying pan medium size mixing bowl sieve 9 1/2 inch springform pan, or similar jellyroll pan, large enough to hold springform pan parchment paper foil paper tongs pastry bag with 1/2 - 1 inch star tip rubber scrapper

How to Make the Beef Mixture:
In a large nonstick pot, brown ground beef over high heat for 5 - 8 minutes, or until gray in colour; drain in sieve and then transfer beef to mixing bowl; set aside. In a medium size pot, boil the frozen peas and carrots for 5 minutes and then add in the corn and continue boiling for 2 - 3 minutes; drain and set aside. In the meantime, wipe large pot clean with paper towels and sauté onions with 2 tablespoons oil, over medium heat for 4 - 6 minutes, or until translucent and wilted.

Once the onions have been cooked, add in the peas, carrots and corn, and then sauté everything for 2 - 3 minutes. Then add in the browned ground beef and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour and toss to distribute flour well, and then pour in the water. Cook for 3 - 5 minutes, adding in more water, if needed, to create a thin sauce.

You'll notice that the flour and water will create a thin sauce that will help bind all of the ingredients; otherwise, the ingredients won't bind and you won't be able to cut the pie without 'things' falling apart on you. If sauce is too thin, add in a tablespoon of flour and cook until thickened.

Add in the Worcestershire sauce, Soya sauce, garlic powder, chicken or beef base and the 3 tablespoons parsley; stir well and remove from heat; set aside.

Frying the Potatoes:
Peel, wash and then slice potatoes into 1/8 wide slices. In a large nonstick pan, using 1/2 cup of oil, fry a few slices at a time, over medium-high heat, until golden in colour, but not too brown. Fry all of the potato slices, even the small pieces, since they will help to form the bottom layer of the pie. Lay fried potatoes in jellyroll pan and continue with remaining potatoes in the same manner. After frying each batch of potatoes, loosely cover them with foil paper and set them aside. Fried potatoes are covered with foil paper in order to soften them up and make them pliable.

Prepare your mashed potatoes and then set them aside.

Assembling the pan:
Cut 2 strips of parchment paper to cover springform's side. Smear a bit (1/2 teaspoon) of the beef mixture's sauce onto each strip and then place on side (picture 1). Parchment paper doesn't cling onto surfaces, so you need something to hold in place as you're assembling the pan.

Note: At this point, place oven rack on lowest level and preheat oven to 475'F.

With a knife, gently separate potato slices. Place and overlap large potato slices around the side of the pan.Lay out the remaining slices to form the bottom layer (picture 2). Fill gaps with small potato slices and don't worry if there are any gaps.

Lay out the remaining slices to form the bottom layer. Fill gaps with small potato slices and don't worry if there are any gaps.

Lay out the remaining slices to form the bottom layer. Fill gaps with small potato slices and don't worry if there are any gaps.

Spoon in 1/2 of the ground beef mixture and spread it out carefully going almost to the side of the pan, leaving you enough space to work with (picture 3).

Then place potato slices on the side of the pan, slightly overlapping each slice, without having slices coming above the side of the pan. As you place 2 - 3 slices, mound tablespoons of the beef mixture, from the remaining half of the mixture to secure slices in place. Continue with remaining slice in same manner to cover up the side of the pan. Add in the remaining beef mixture and smooth out evenly. Beef mixture should fill up pan about 1/2 - 2/3 worth.

1. Smearing a bit of the beef mixture onto parchment strip.

2. Layering potato slices in pan.

3. Spooning beef mixture into potato linded pan.

Using about 3 cups of the mashed potatoes, take a few tablespoons of the mashed potatoes and spread out a thin layer to cover beef mixture (picture 4).

Fit pastry bag with star tip and then fill with 1/2 of the mashed potatoes. Starting from the side of the pan and finishing off in the centre, press out swirls, about an inch wide and as high as the side of the pan; fill pan completely and dust with paprika.

Don't try to completely fill pastry bag with the mashed potatoes; the bag gets hot, making it hard to hold and squeeze; instead make 2 batches. If you have leftover mashed potatoes, simply press out more stars to make a border.

Place the filled springform pan in the jellyroll pan to prevent spills (picture 5), and bake for 20 minutes, and then broil for 5 - 8 minutes, or until swirls' edges are brown. The parchment paper will slightly darken. Remove from oven and sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley over swirls. Cool for 5 minutes and then place springform pan on serving platter. Remove the side and parchment papers; serve with your favourite gravy.

Note: Don't try to slide out the pie, because it will fall apart. Instead, use a sharp knife to cut through pie, especially the bottom layer and the side.

4. Spreading mashed potatoes.

5. Pie set in foil paper lined jelly roll pan, ready to be baked.

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Looking Back at Everything You've Made!
This isn't a complicated meal to prepare. You do need to do a few things simultaneously, however, they aren't difficult, as long as each step of the recipe has been completed, you'll be able to make it.