Shepherd's Pie Stew
I haven’t made a shepherd’s pie in years. It used to be my go to potluck party dish, always a crowd pleaser! I had normally made it with ground beef and baked in the oven. This time I put a little twist on the recipe by creating a beef stew in the slow cooker with the hearty flavors of a shepherd’s pie. Of course, the dish wouldn’t be complete without the mashed potato crust. I tend to enjoy creating fun Halloween recipes and thought this would fit the occasion well. To create the “Spooky” version, after the stew is complete, simply transfer to an oven safe dish and swirl your mashed potatoes overtop, finishing with two peas for eyes. In order to make the ghosts, you must scoop the mashed potatoes into a Ziplock baggie and cut a hole in one of the corners. Squeeze baggie carefully in circular motions. You can stop here to enjoy, or if you’d like to crust the potato ghost a bit, place in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400. You can also broil for a minute or two, keep an eye on it if broiling. Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 cups cut carrots, sliced
2 cups frozen peas
2 cups frozen corn
1 onion, chopped
4 cups of beef broth, low sodium
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ½ - 2 pounds of beef (chuck roast or beef stew chunks)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Tomato paste (6 oz. can or 4 oz. tube) about 6 tablespoons
2 tablespoons of Worcheshire sauce
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 yukon or russet potatoes
1 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter (½ stick)
Instructions
In the bottom of the slow cooker add: carrots, corn, onion and garlic.
Place beef over the vegetables.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together: worcheshire sauce, oregano, salt, pepper, tomato paste. Whisk to combine then spread onto the beef.
Pour the beef broth over the seasoned beef. Four cups should just about cover everything.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6.
At some point closer to the end of the cooking process, prepare your mashed potatoes. Begin by peeling, washing, and cutting potatoes into cubes.
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are very soft and tender. Use a fork to test. If the fork can easily pierce, they are done.
Remove pot from heat and strain potatoes.
Return the empty pot to the stove and add butter to melt. The pot may be hot enough but if not place over low heat. Don’t let the butter burn, stir until melted and add the milk to lightly warm the milk while stirring. Turn off the heat if it was on.
Add the cooked potatoes and use a mashing tool or a hand mixer to beat the potatoes until fluffy.
Add salt to taste, stir, cover and keep warm until ready to spread over the stew.
Once the stew is done, remove lid from the slow cooker. Using a ladle, scoop out 4 ladles of the juice from the slow cooker into a small mixing bowl.
Add the flour and whisk rapidly until well combined and thick. Add back into the slow cooker.
Stir in the frozen peas.
Spread mashed potatoes over the stew. Place lid back on and cook on high for 30 minutes. Serve.
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