By Cody is on day five hundred and thirty-six of his sentence. Week two of the Tulsa Library teen writing program was Wednesday. Marcus Wells liked my half-page. He asked the room what made the piece work. Iris — the freshman-bound-for-Tulane in the seat next to me — said, the kitchen runs underneath everything. I want to put that line on the page in pen because it is the line I had not been able to articulate myself, and Iris said it on the second Wednesday and the room agreed and Marcus Wells nodded and wrote something in his notebook. The week-two assignment is a one-page from a different point of view than the writer’s usual.
And the recipe Saturday was mini shepherd’s pie bites for a baby shower Mrs. Tilford asked me to cater for one of the church congregants. Thirty guests, forty individual bites baked in mini muffin tins. The reimbursement was $40 and the tip was $25, $65 total.
The recipe is from A Family Feast. Each bite is a small mashed-potato-topped beef pie in a muffin-tin well. You make the filling first — ground beef cooked with diced onion, carrot, peas, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, salt, pepper, simmered until thickened. You spoon the filling into greased mini-muffin tins. You pipe (or spoon) mashed potatoes on top. You brush with melted butter. You bake at 400 for fifteen minutes until the potato tops are golden.
The math: a pound of ground beef $1.99, a pound of yukon gold potatoes $1.49, an onion, two carrots, a half cup of frozen peas, butter, beef broth from bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, garlic. Total: about $7.50 in ingredients for forty bites. Mrs. Tilford reimbursed $40 and tipped $25.
The bites are the kind of party food that vanishes from the buffet line. The shower hosts told Mrs. Tilford the bites were the favorite item. Two more catering inquiries by Tuesday afternoon.
The recipe is below. The trick is the muffin-tin scale — do not try to make these in a 9x13. The individual portion is the catering point.
Mini Shepherd’s Pie Bites
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 12 bites (4 servings)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or ground lamb
- 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots blend
- 1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups mashed potatoes (prepared, warm)
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
- Brown the meat. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook 2–3 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Add ground beef, breaking it apart, and cook until no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
- Build the filling. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add the frozen peas and carrots and cook another 2 minutes until heated through. Remove from heat.
- Fill the muffin tin. Spoon the meat mixture evenly into each muffin cup, filling about 2/3 of the way up. Press gently to compact.
- Top with mashed potatoes. Spoon or pipe warm mashed potatoes over each filled cup, covering the meat layer. Smooth the tops with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle shredded cheddar over each.
- Bake. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the potato tops are lightly golden and the edges are bubbling. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing with a butter knife or small offset spatula.
- Serve. Plate 3 bites per person and serve immediately. Leftovers reheat well in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes.
Nutrition (per serving, 3 bites)
Calories: 380 | Protein: 24g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 520mg