Traditional Shepherd's Pie
Instead of using a pastry crust, this recipe creates a savory crust with mashed potatoes. The bacon flavor in the filling is fabulous! I think you and your family will love this pleasing pie.
Instead of using a pastry crust, this recipe creates a savory crust with mashed potatoes. The bacon flavor in the filling is fabulous! I think you and your family will love this pleasing pie.
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 3 strips bacon diced
- 1/2 cup hunt's(r) tomato sauce[x]america's #1 selling
- 4 1/4 oz chopped ripe olives drained
- 5-1/2 cups hot mashed potatoes prepared without milk and butter
- additional butter melted
- Carbohydrate 37.3771094444027 g
- Cholesterol 132.798176937694 mg
- Fat 20.2795710571937 g
- Fiber 3.56350278788601 g
- Protein 20.2900298471766 g
- Saturated Fat 9.09422112729556 g
- Serving Size 1 1 - (328g)
- Sodium 804.976132933894 mg
- Sugar 33.8136066565167 g
- Trans Fat 3.31805241965292 g
- Calories 415 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, cook bacon, onion, garlic and oregano until bacon is crisp; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, olives and beef. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until heated through.
- Meanwhile, combine the mashed potatoes, eggs, butter, cilantro and salt. Spread half of the potato mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. pie plate. Layer with beef mixture and remaining potato mixture.
- Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Brush the pie with melted butter. Bake 10 minutes longer or until top is golden brown.
Golden peaks of butter-brushed potato crust emerge from the oven with a rich, bubbling edge of savory tomato and beef juices. Historically, dishes of this type utilized leftover roasted meats sealed beneath starchy root vegetables to stretch provisions efficiently across households. Rendering the diced bacon alongside onions and garlic builds a concentrated flavor base through fat-soluble aromatic compounds released during slow pan-frying. Draining excess grease from the beef before combining it with the tomato sauce prevents the filling from becoming overly watery while simmering for ten minutes. Incorporating lightly beaten eggs directly into the hot mashed potatoes creates a crucial thermal network of coagulating proteins that helps the dual-layer potato shell hold its structural integrity when sliced. Spreading half of that starch mixture along the sides of a greased nine-inch pie plate forms a protective thermal barrier around the meat. Brushing the assembled dish with melted fat during the final ten minutes of baking at 375 degrees accelerates the Maillard reaction on the surface, yielding a deeply browned, crisp top crust.
