Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Why we love it:

This dish is much more simple than you might think. Though it takes longer than an hour, much of that is baking and waiting. If you prep ahead it’s even easier! For the baking dish, use an enamel Dutch oven and just bake it in the same pan you sauté it in. A large cast iron skillet would be impressive for sautéing to baking as well. If you don’t have that, you can sauté in a pan then transfer to a casserole dish of any kind that is oven safe.

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Ingredients

1¹⁄₂ pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes (about 5 medium sized)
¹⁄₂ cup Whole Milk (cream, half and half, or sour cream or yogurt)
¹⁄₄ cup Unsalted Butter
16 ounces Button Mushrooms
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt (divided, more or less to taste)
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Shallots (minced)
3 Carrots
¹⁄₂ bunch Fresh Thyme
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
2 Tablespoons Flour
¹⁄₂ cup Red Wine (optional)
2 cups Vegetable Stock
2 cups Frozen Peas

Cooking Instructions

1. MASHED POTATOES

We’ll get the potatoes started first. Peel the potatoes and cut in quarters. Place in a pot and cover with water. Boil until they’re fork tender. Drain well and return to the hot pot. Mash them and mix in the milk and butter. Season to taste with about a ½ teaspoon of salt, and add more to taste. Set aside.

*Want to save time and waste? Don’t peel the potatoes! We don’t mind the rustic texture and love the extra nutrients and fiber. Wash and dice the potatoes, mash with the skins on. Huzzah!
2. MUSHROOMS

Meanwhile, chop the mushrooms. Slice them as thinly as you can, then roughly chop with your knife so the pieces are small and a bit random in shape.

In a large oven-safe pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and stir often while you chop the other veggies.
3. SHALLOT + CARROT

Peel and slice the shallot, half-moon shapes are nice. Add to the mushrooms.

Wash the carrot and trim the ends. Finely dice, then add to the pot as well. Add a few sprigs of thyme whole, you can pull the stems out later. Sauté until the carrots are mostly tender and the mushrooms have given up their liquid and mostly dried out and browned. This will take about 10-12 minutes total.
4. GRAVY

Add tomato paste and flour to the pot at the same time and stir or whisk, ensure that you’re scraping the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 minute. Pour in the red wine and scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the wine cook out for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth, stirring it in until a thickened gravy starts to form. Season with the remaining salt. Simmer over low heat for about 3 minutes to thicken further.
5. BAKE

If the pot you have sautéed in will be the final container, you’re ready for the potato topping. If you have a different casserole dish for baking, transfer the veggies into the dish. Remove the thyme sprigs and stir in the peas.

Spread the potatoes on the top to form a crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 350. If you’d like extra browning, dot with butter and finish on broil for a few minutes.
6. SERVING

Spoon into bowls. Leftovers are great for a week and the layered dish would freeze perfectly for up to 4 months.

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Substitutions

GLUTEN FREE :

omit flour in the gravy and add a few Tablespoons of the mashed potatoes to the pot with the tomato paste, it will thicken it up! Or don’t add anything else, just have a thinner sauce, it will still taste great
DAIRY FREE:

use milk substitute or almond/cashew yogurt in the mashed potatoes, use olive oil instead of butter
PALEO:

omit the flour and make the topping with mashed cauliflower
WINE:

white wine, beer, or omit wine and add 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
WHITE POTATOES:

sweet potatoes (peeled) or a combination of root vegetables makes the topping interesting, try turnips, celery root and rutabagas. Or, use butternut squash, carrots or cauliflower for a lighter veggie topping
KIDS CORNER:

try serving components separately for kids, maybe lift some sautéed mushrooms out before adding the gravy ingredients, serve a side of regular mashed potatoes and sautéed peas