Contributed by Chef Ryan Brown
Date: Thursday, March 14, 2019
In celebration of Pi Day, our Executive Chef, Ryan Brown, whipped up a hearty Shepherd's Pi(e). Try Chef's take on this classic comfort dish in your kitchen.
- Pi Filling Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- ½ cup sliced carrots
- ½ cup cut celery
- 1 cup medium yellow onions, chopped
- ½ cup button mushrooms
- ½ cup cut green beans
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 16 ounces beef stock/broth
- ¼ cup part flour and ¼ cup butter for dark roux (optional: use beef fat instead of butter)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- Mashed Potato Ingredients
- 2Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 4 ounces heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Procedure
Mashed Potatoes
Boil potatoes: In a medium pot, add potatoes and approximately 6 cups of water (enough to cover the potatoes). Bring to a boil on high heat.Once potatoes are soft, drain 90% of the liquid.
Cream mixture: In a small sauce pot combine heavy cream, garlic, butter and sour cream. Warm up the mixture on low to medium heat for a few minutes. Turn down heat and set aside.
Mash potatoes: Mash the potatoes and add the cream mixture to achieve the consistency you like. Set to the side.
Pi Filling
Sauté beef and vegetables: In a large hot skillet, sauté ground beef until slightly pink. Next, add garlic, mushrooms, green beans, onions, carrots and celery. Cook until beef is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Pour the beef fat into a small pan; you can use the remaining fat to create the roux. Add salt and pepper to taste, Italian seasoning and broth/stock. Bring the mixture to boil and turn down the heat to simmer until the broth has been reduced.
Create the dark roux: You can choose to make the roux using either reserved beef fat or butter. On medium heat, add all purpose flour to beef fat/butter, stirring often until the filling has the consistency of cake batter. Be careful not to add too much flour all at once because the roux will thicken quickly.
Combine roux, beef and vegetables: While stirring the beef and vegetables, slowly pour in the roux to prevent clumps. Let this cook for a few minutes until it's to the consistency that you like and the flour is cooked thoroughly. Take the skillet off the heat and begin building your pi(e).
Assembling Your Pi(e)
In a 9.5 inch round pie dish, add your filling. Next, add mashed potatoes to form an even layer across the top. Once this is done, brush on your melted butter to coat the top of the potatoes and place in the oven at 350° F for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool down for a few minutes. Enjoy your pi(e)!