Shepardless Pie

This meal is super omni friendly (it was tested on real, live omni's - they went back for more), super yummy, and a straight from the larder meal if you have a reasonably well-stocked kitchen. If you use a cast iron skillet or another oven-safe skillet it will be a two-pot meal (one pot if you have left-over mashed potatoes on hand!).

I used some frozen burger crumbles that were languishing in the freezer, but you can use TVP or grated tempeh if you prefer. If you use TVP rehydrate it in no-beef broth.

 

Shepardless Pie

Serves 6-8 happy people. This recipe is easily halved, just use a smaller skillet. If you want to double it transfer the filling to a 13x9 baking dish before topping and baking.

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 celery heart, or two stalks, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 cups burger crumbles, rehydrated TVP, or crumbled tempeh

1/2 cup red wine

1 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Braggs liquid aminos

1 tbsp ketchup

1 tsp dried thyme

4 cups frozen mixed veggies (mine had corn, peas, carrots, and green beans)

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 cups water mixed with 2 tbsp no-beef broth (or 2 cups veggie broth)

salt and pepper to taste

one recipe of mashed potatoes, below

The filling, prior to being topped.

Preheat oven to 375. 

Heat oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery and cook 2 minutes, until they onions start to look translucent. Add garlic and cook one minute longer. Add wine and burger crumbles, cook until most of the wine is absorbed. Add the worcestershire, Braggs, ketchup, thyme, fresh pepper, and frozen veggies. Stir to thoroughly incorporate everything and cook a couple minutes until veggies start to thaw (yes I dumped them in straight from the freezer). 

Sprinkle in flour. You may need to do this in a couple increments to avoid lumps. Just sprinkle and stir, then repeat until you've worked in all the flour. When your done all the filling should be coated and you should not see the flour itself. Pour in the broth and stir until filling is uniform. Bring to a bubble and cook until gravy thickens.

Turn off heat and get your mashed potatoes. Dollop two-thirds of the potatoes over the filling and spread around until the whole top is covered, making sure work it all the way to the edge. Use remaining third of potatoes to cover any areas that look thin.

Place the entire skillet in the oven and bake 30-40 minutes, until filling is bubbly and potatoes are browned. If your potatoes are not brown enough for you after 40 minutes, you can use your broiler to finish them off but do NOT leave the kitchen. In fact, plant yourself in front of the oven. They will go from deliciously toasty to nasty burned in seconds!

Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Serve to your adoring fans. 

As you can see the filling and potatoes did not completely fill the skillet to allow room for bubbling.

Mashed Potatoes

4 medium russet potatoes

2 tbsp earth balance (optional, I usually skip it when I'm just cooking for the two of us)

1/2 - 3/4 cup non-dairy milk

1-2 tbs yellow miso

salt and pepper to taste

Peel and dice potatoes. Place in a medium pot, cover with water and a tsp of salt. Bring to a boil and cook 10-15 minutes, until fork tender. Drain.

Mash potatoes. Add remaining ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. For shepardless pie it is better if the potatoes are a little on the dry side as they will absorb some of the gravy from the filling.