Mini Shepherds Pie “Cupcakes”

Traditional shepherds pie gets a mini makeover. If you’re looking for a tasty fall meal that doesn’t involve turkey, try these adorable shepherds pie “cupcakes.” Pie crust filled with ground beef and vegetables topped with a mashed potato swirl. They make a perfect dinner or a presentable appetizer or side for your Thanksgiving meal.

TOOLS

• Stand mixer
• Whisk attachment
• Mixer Skirt fabric splash guard for stand mixers
• Large pan for sauté and large pot for boiling
• 12 cavity cupcake pan
• Round cookie cutter or pint glass
• Piping bag or plastic zip lock bag
• 1M piping tip or large opening tip
• Scissors

INGREDIENTS

Filling Ingredients

• 1 TBSP EVOO
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 - 10oz bag frozen mixed veggies
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mashed Potato Ingredients

• 2 medium russet potatoes (~24 Oz)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tablespoon room temp salted butter
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup milk

Dough

• 2 Pilsbury Pie Crusts, room temp

LETS BAKE

1. Add EVOO to a large sauté pan and heat on medium heat.
2. Add onions and cook until fragrant, stirring occasionally. (~3 min)
3. Add ground beef to pan and chop. Cook until brown.
4. Drain excess fat.
5. Add salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder and bag of frozen vegetables to ground beef. Cook an additional 5 minutes on medium heat.
6. Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly.

For Mashed Potatoes

1. Peel and dice potatoes.
2. In a small pot, add potatoes and fill with cold water to cover potatoes. Add 1 tsp salt to water.
3. Boil potatoes until soft enough to stick a fork in to slightly crumble.
4. In a stand mixer with whisk attachment and Mixer Skirt fabric splash guard attached, add potatoes, butter and cheddar cheese.
5. Whisk until fluffy and combined.
6. Add egg and flour and whisk until combined.
7. Add milk by hand, slowly adding until potatoes are a smooth consistency to be able to squeeze from a bag.
8. Allow to cool slightly, transfer potato mixture to a piping bag with a star tip or to a plastic ziplock bag.

To make the “cupcakes”

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Open premade pie crust and unroll on flat surface, using a round cookie cutter or pint glass, cut 12 circles into the pie crust dough.
3. Press 1 dough circle into each cavity of the cupcake pan. Press excess dough scraps into the bottom of each cavity to create a stronger base.
4. Fill each cupcake cavity with ground beef mixture.
5. Using a scissor, trim the tip of the bag to create a small hole.
6. Pipe mashed potatoes on each ground beef mixture starting in the center and working outwards in a circular motion.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until top of mashed potatoes are golden brown.
8. Enjoy!