Rewritten by Joseph Garnett, Jr. - From the Archives
November 10, 2015
The days are cooler and shortened as fall is now in full swing across the country. Along with the cool air, come seasonal ingredients and flavors. There are certain dishes that bring a special kind of feeling of coziness and comfort to the dinner table. So, whether you are experiencing fall from a traditional house or traveling to your fall destinations, pies are one of the dishes that are great to make inside your RV or luxury motorhome kitchen. One great thing about pies is that they can be stored and reheated after you have returned from an outdoor adventure.
Shepherd’s Pie
First, Let’s Try Something Savory.
It only takes 45 minutes to prepare and another 45 minutes to cook. So, after an hour and a half, you can serve an unbelievable dish for up to eight guests.
Here’s What Will Be Necessary
Potatoes:
- Gather 1-and-a-half pounds of russet potatoes
- A quarter-cup of milk
- Two ounces of unsalted butter
- Three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt
- One-quarter teaspoon of black pepper
- One egg yolk
Ingredients to create the meat filling
- Two tablespoons of canola oil
- One cup of chopped onion
- Two whole carrots that are peeled and then diced into small pieces
- Two minced garlic cloves
- One and-a-half pounds of ground lamb
- One teaspoon of salt
- A half teaspoon of black pepper
- Two tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- Two teaspoons of tomato paste
- One cup of chicken broth
- One teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
- Two teaspoons of freshly chopped rosemary leaves
- One teaspoon of freshly chopped thyme leaves
- Half-cup of corn kernels
- Half cup of English peas
How to Prepare
First, peel the potatoes and cut them into one-half inch dices. Put the cut potatoes into a medium sauce pan and cover them with cold water. Turn your stove to high heat and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, uncover and lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook the potatoes until they are tender and can be easily crushed. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes.
Put the half-and-half butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through for about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then put them back into the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add half and half, butter, sault and pepper and continue to mash until smooth.
Then, combine the yolk by stirring.
Preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
While waiting for the potatoes to cook, it’s time to make the filling. With the setting on medium-high heat, pour the canola oil into a 12-inch sauté pan. When the oil starts shimmering, add the onion and carrots. Once they start changing colors, take them off the heat. This should take approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Next, you want to add the lamb with salt and pepper.
Let the lamb cook until it becomes browned and cooked all the way through. Once again, this step should take approximately three minutes. Add sprinkles of flour onto the meat and then toss to coat the lamb. After the flour coating is added, continue cooking for another minute. Once the lamb has cooked, it is time to add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme. Stir vigorously to combine the ingredients evenly.
Place the combined ingredients over medium to high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling happens, turn the heat to low and then cover and let it simmer slowly for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce becomes slightly thick.
Choose an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish and combine the corn and peas with the lamb mixture and spread evenly. Place the mashed potatoes on top of the lamb mixture. Starting around the edges, create a seal to eliminate bubbling up of the ingredients. Smooth out the mashed potatoes evenly with a rubber spatula.
Once all the ingredients are finally combined into one dish, place it on a parchment-lined half sheet pan on the oven’s middle rack and bake for 25 minutes. 25 minutes is just an approximate time, you should check and cook until the potatoes begin to brown. Then, place the dish on a cooling rack at least 15 minutes before serving your family and friends.
Apple Pie
If you have a sweet tooth, then a fresh apple pie will be a delight to your pallet. The easy part about making apple pie is that the preparation time takes about 20 minutes and baking takes 50 minutes. So in an hour and ten minutes, you can be serving your guests a delightful treat. The following recipe serves eight guests.
Here’s What You’ll Need
- One-half cup of sugar
- One-half cup of packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- One teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- One-quarter teaspoon of ground ginger
- One-quarter teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- Six to seven cups of peeled tart apples that are thinly sliced
- One tablespoon of lemon juice
- Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)
- One tablespoon of butter
- 1 egg white
- Extra sugar
How to Prepare
Using a small bowl, combine the sugars, flour, and spices and then set the combination aside. Begin tossing the apples mixed with lemon juice in a large bowl. Once the apples and lemon juice are mixed, add the sugar mixture and then toss until the apples are coated.
Using a 9-inch pie plate with a bottom crust, apply a liner. Trim the pastry evenly with the edge. Fill with apple mixture; dot with butter. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie and place over the filling. Then, you can trim, seal, and flute the edges. Also, cut slits in pastry.
Next, you will need to beat the egg white until it becomes foamy. Then brush it over the pastry and sprinkle with sugar. Place the dish into the oven, covering the edges loosely with foil. The baking temperature should be set at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and then bake 20-25 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown. Use a wire rack to cool before serving.
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