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Party Treats Round Up »

Mini Shepherd’s Pies

October 7, 2011 by overtimecook 48 Comments

What a week. I don’t even know where to start.

I guess with Sunday, when I worked a full day to make up for the days we were closed last week. Then came Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, all of which felt like a day later than they actually were. I got home on average 7:30 each night, and got straight to work in the kitchen. I went to bed after 2 am every night. Now it’s Thursday, well after 2 and I am not nearly done in the kitchen.

Did I mention that my company will be closed next week, so it’s about doubly busy this week? Yeah, I did drink loads of coffee. Why do you ask?

Enough complaining about me. Let’s talk global issues. I honestly couldn’t believe how saddened I was at the death of Steve Jobs. Sure I discovered the news on my iPhone, which frankly I am in love with. But still, I never met the man, I never interacted with him, yet my stomach dropped when I heard the news, and I felt like I was going to cry. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because I am a gadget freak, and he changed the technology world forever. Maybe because I use one of his products on a daily (who am I kidding? Minutely) basis. Maybe it’s selfish and I simply worry that the company won’t go on to produce the same kind of quality products without his guidance. All I know right now is…iSad.

Now lets talk yankees. They were blown out of the playoffs tonight. Y’know what? I changed my mind. Let’s talk about something more pleasant.

Let’s talk Mini Shepherd’s Pies. I don’t know when and how this idea came to me, but frankly I am in awe of myself. I know, I know, I need to work on my humility, but that’s for another time. The great thing about these is how absolutely impressive they look. Nobody has to know how simple they are to make. Next time you have a party, or you have guests you want to impress, go ahead and serve this as an appetizer. It’s a true comfort-food-turned-elegant starter.

Mini Shepherd’s Pies:

Ingredients:

24 mini (3″) frozen pie shells

oil, for frying

1 large onion

1-2 cloves garlic

1 large carrot

1 lb chopped meat (I used beef)

1/2 Tbsp salt (or to taste)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp thyme

1 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1/4 cup broth or stock (I used vegetable)

4 potatoes, boiled.

1 stick margarine

salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Finely dice onions and sautee on medium flame in  oil until translucent. Mince garlic and add to onions. Dice carrot finely and add to skillet. Add salt, pepper and thyme. Continue to cook vegetables until they are tender.

Remove vegetables from pan. Add more oil. Increase the heat and brown meat, stirring frequently with a fork to break meat into small pieces. When meat is browned, turn the hear down and add back in the vegetables. Stir to combine. Add flour and stir well, cooking until completely mixed in. (You shouldn’t be able to see the flour at this point.) Add the tomato paste and stir until mixture is thick. Add broth and simmer until broth is mostly evaporated.

At this point, the meat mixture is fully cooked, so taste it and adjust seasoning as needed.

Fill pie crusts right to the top with meat mixture and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375.

Melt the margarine (either in a microwave or in a small pot). Pour melted margarine over potatoes and mash until potatoes are creamy. Add salt and pepper, seasoning to taste.

At this point you can spoon the mashed potatoes over the meat, but if you want to go for the “wow” presentation with surprisingly little additional work, place the mashed potatoes in a pastry bag fitted with a wide tip (I used a 1M tip) and pipe rosettes over the meat.

Place the pies on a baking sheet in the oven and bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, or until the pie crust edges appear brown and the mashed potatoes are just turning light brown on the top.

Enjoy!

 

Linking this to This Chick Cooks.

 

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Meat, Sides Tagged With: Meat, Potatoes, Recipes, Shepherds Pie


Comments

  1. rachsmith says

    October 7, 2011 at 4:59 am

    i’ve never thought of doing little shepherd pies like this – what a cute idea. i love the piped topping too – i usually just slater mine on with a fork!

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      October 7, 2011 at 11:44 am

      Thanks! I couldn’t believe how quick the piping was to do!

      Reply
  2. A Hint Of Garlic says

    October 7, 2011 at 5:03 am

    What a fantastic idea ! They look great

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      October 7, 2011 at 11:45 am

      Thank you! And thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  3. frugalfeeding says

    October 7, 2011 at 6:29 am

    Awwww, they look cute. Shepherds pie always contains lamb, by the way. The ones that contain beef are called cottage pie 😀

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      October 7, 2011 at 11:46 am

      I know! I was going to write something about that. I remember once watching Gordon Ramsay yell at someone for calling a beef dish a Shepherd’s Pie. Oh well, good thing Gordon Ramsay doesn’t read my blog. 😉

      Reply
  4. Hannah (BitterSweet) says

    October 7, 2011 at 8:17 am

    What a cute and convenient way to serve this main dish! I love individual portions- They’re so much neater than a giant casserole that you need to scoop out, and they freeze well for defrosting just one or two at a time later.

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      October 7, 2011 at 11:48 am

      Hi Hannah! You sound like me- I am obsessed with minis. I never know how many people I am going to feed, so minis make it so easy!

      Reply
  5. Mark says

    October 7, 2011 at 10:15 am

    Those are beautiful!!!

    Reply
  6. overtimecook says

    October 7, 2011 at 11:48 am

    Thanks Mark! And thanks for coming! 🙂

    Reply
  7. gloria says

    October 7, 2011 at 12:03 pm

    Look absolutely nice!

    Reply
  8. Vanilla Bean Baker says

    October 7, 2011 at 1:50 pm

    Girl, you are working way too hard. Hopefully you can squeeze in time to pamper yourself and get some rest. Great post however and your mini shepherds pie are as adorable as I’m sure they are delicious.

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      October 8, 2011 at 9:51 pm

      I am working crazy hard, Paula, but hopefully once the holiday comes it will all be worth it!

      Reply
  9. mordy says

    October 8, 2011 at 9:02 pm

    They look awsome can’t wait to try them p.s. Sorry about the yankees at least you didn’t have to watch it

    Reply
  10. Sarah says

    October 9, 2011 at 12:58 am

    These taste even better than they look!! I definitely recommend them. Thanks!!

    Reply
  11. Tali Simon @ More Quiche, Please says

    October 9, 2011 at 7:34 am

    Gorgeous! If only my makolet sold mini frozen pie crusts…

    Reply
  12. Rivki says

    October 9, 2011 at 4:58 pm

    I *love* these. How cute, and indeed, brilliant! You can work on modesty in a different way, these rock!

    Reply
  13. This American Bite says

    October 10, 2011 at 2:39 pm

    That’s a pretty smart idea – looks great and good for portion control too. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  14. Mystery Woman says

    October 24, 2011 at 10:13 am

    I tried these and they are really as gorgeous as they look in the picture. Delicious, too!

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      October 26, 2011 at 1:39 am

      Glad you liked them!

      Reply
  15. Ruchiccio says

    July 18, 2012 at 10:37 am

    Let’s say I want to bake these in one pan, not mini individual ones. What size pan do you think I’d need?

    Reply
  16. Calligrapher says

    September 27, 2012 at 1:28 am

    Any ground beef recipes that DON”T involve sauteing the meat as a first step? Justa technicality. I’m out of pans currently… Therse are gorgeous – totally gonna come back to make these one day

    Reply
  17. Adeena G says

    March 19, 2013 at 10:42 am

    How would I adjust the cooking time if I wanted to make shepherds pie using the regular sized frozen pie crust?

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      March 19, 2013 at 11:36 am

      Can’t say for sure, as I haven’t tried it. Start with the amount of time on this recipe, then see how it looks!

      Reply
  18. sevenz says

    May 1, 2013 at 10:14 pm

    Do the mini shepherds pies freeze well?

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      May 2, 2013 at 2:19 am

      They do – but add the mashed potatoes and finish them at the last minute.

      Reply
      • sevenz says

        May 2, 2013 at 7:46 pm

        Thanks! So if I’m making them for a yom tov meal can i do the potatoes a day in advance and just reheat the whole thing?

        Reply
        • Mystery Woman says

          May 3, 2013 at 10:01 am

          I froze the whole thing, including the mashed potato, and they were fine.

          Reply
  19. Frimchie Fuchs says

    May 9, 2013 at 12:49 pm

    I made this once as an appetizer and it was delicious. I want to make it for Yom Tov as a main dish but 1 pie isn’t enough as a main.. Does it make sense to serve 2 pies per person? Or how else can I make it individual but for a main?

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      May 9, 2013 at 4:27 pm

      Use the larger sized pie shells. (They sell small medium and large, so use medium)

      Reply
  20. Kaitlin says

    May 28, 2013 at 12:21 pm

    hi there.all i have is a tub of margarine so how many tbspns would be equivelant to a stick?thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      May 28, 2013 at 12:36 pm

      8 tablespoons to a stick of margarine.
      Enjoy!

      Reply
  21. esther says

    August 19, 2013 at 10:22 pm

    i am in the middle of making these right now for rosh hashana. I hope the piping comes out nice!

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      August 19, 2013 at 10:48 pm

      Enjoy! I’d add the mashed potatoes just before serving for best results!

      Reply
  22. hudy merms says

    September 10, 2013 at 4:14 pm

    just saw this link on fb and LOVVVEd the recipe…gotta check out the rest of ur recipes now…wrong time for my diet to have started

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      September 10, 2013 at 6:43 pm

      Oh hey stranger!! Happy you found it my blog (finally!). 🙂

      Reply
  23. Sarah says

    September 7, 2014 at 10:15 am

    How much broth is needed for this recipe?

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      September 7, 2014 at 12:07 pm

      It says the amount in the recipe…

      Reply
  24. lana says

    September 22, 2014 at 11:16 pm

    it is 1/4 _cup_ broth, correct? making these for the chag. super cute!

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      September 23, 2014 at 4:29 pm

      Yes! Updating it now.

      Reply
      • Ahuva says

        September 24, 2015 at 4:49 pm

        All of your recipes are so amazing! I look forward to making this one, but I want to make it in a 9×13 pan- do you think the amount would fit well? Can you approximate how long I would let it cook?

        Reply
  25. Shirl says

    September 29, 2016 at 1:59 pm

    I can’t find mini frozen pie crusts anywhere – what do you think if I use mini filo dough instead? Any thoughts on baking time?

    Reply
  26. Shulamit says

    July 25, 2017 at 10:10 am

    Hi,

    Can I freeze these?

    Reply
    • overtimecook says

      August 7, 2017 at 11:16 am

      Freeze before the mashed potatoes are added, then add them and bake fresh.

      Reply
      • Miryam says

        September 13, 2017 at 6:42 am

        When you say freeze before you add the mash potatoes do you mean to bake the pastry and meat tho? Thanks

        Reply
        • overtimecook says

          September 18, 2017 at 9:52 pm

          Stop just before the step of adding the mashed potatoes.

          Reply
  27. Tali Idell says

    August 16, 2018 at 9:42 pm

    Wait do u cook then freeze with out potato’s or do u frezze the whole thing raw?

    Reply
  28. Naomi says

    January 20, 2020 at 10:28 am

    Looking forward to making this!!

    Reply

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