A hearty meal brimming with fresh ingredients, and packed full of flavor! Perfect for a fall evening comfort food dish the whole family can enjoy!
Notes:
You can save time prepping vegetables by adding them to a food processor. Just be careful not to process too much or everything will be mush. For people who do not want to use alcohol, beef broth is a great substitute! Any kind of cheddar cheese will work here (but especially a sharp, old, white cheese.)
Equipment
- Large stock pot
- Large frying pan
- 9" x 13" casserole pan
Ingredients
Smashed Potatoes:
- 1.5 lbs Little Potatoes
- (To taste) salt and pepper
- (To taste) cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
Filling:
- 1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- (To taste) salt and pepper
- 1 cup beer or beef broth
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp flour (or gluten-free flour)
Instructions
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Make the Smashed Potatoes:
Add potatoes to a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until just fork tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking.
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Step 2
Using a spatula, place the flat end over one potato at a time and press down with your hand to "smash" them.
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Make the Filling:
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add ground beef. Cook for two minutes. Stir in onion, celery, carrot, garlic, mushrooms, and red pepper. Cook until all meat has browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain excess grease.
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Step 4
Season with salt, pepper, thyme, basil, and oregano. Stir in flour, Worcestershire, and tomato paste.
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Step 5
Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in beer (or broth if using in place of alcohol) and scrape any bits from the bottom of pan. Simmer for a few minutes and add corn and peas.
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Assemble the Pie:
Preheat oven to 425 °F.
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Step 7
Pour the filling into a large 9" x 13" casserole pan.
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Step 8
Top with smashed potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cayenne (paprika for a non-spicy version).
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Step 9
Place into the oven and cook for 10 minutes, uncovered. Sprinkle cheese on top and continue cooking for another 10 to 20 minutes, or when potatoes are nicely browned.
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Step 10
Allow to cool slightly and serve!