Shepherd's pie is a comfort food classic, but with the recipe below, it also becomes a delicious, perfectly-portioned treat. Of course, you'll need to make a few changes to help these hold together: while a traditional shepherd's pie is made up of beef on the bottom and mashed potatoes on top, for these cupcakes, a third layer is needed. Luckily, it couldn't be easier.
The secret ingredient is frozen shredded potatoes, the kind you might use to make home fries. When tossed with a beaten egg and pressed into the bottom of the tins, it makes the perfect pie shell.
Advertisement
Cooktop Cove
Shepherd's Pie Cupcakes
12
20 minutes
40 minutes
1 hour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 medium carrots, brunoise
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups frozen shredded hash browns, defrosted in the microwave
4 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups mashed potatoes (homemade or from a box)
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 12 even pieces
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Heat the olive oil over high heat in a pan, and add the beef in an even layer. Cook until nicely browned on all sides, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the onion to the pan and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and cook until both veggies are tender and the onions are slightly browned, about 5 more minutes.
Return the beef to the pan and add the peas, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.
Combine the hash browns and egg in a bowl. Press an even layer of hash browns into each muffin tin cup, ensuring that it comes up the sides about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way.
Spoon beef into each cup, add the beaten eggs and bake for about 20 minutes.
Top each cupcake with mashed potatoes. (If you're feeling fancy, you can pipe the potatoes in with a piping bag!), and broil until the hash brown is crisp and the top is golden brown.
