Mini Shepherd’s Pies for the Downton Abbey season 3 premiere

mini shepherd's pie

Tonight is the season 3 premiere of Downton Abbey. I’m excited to see how things are going for the Grantham family.

DowntonAbbey

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I’m not really a fan of Lady Mary and Matthew. Lady Mary’s a tad whiny for me. My favorite Grantham sister is Lady Sybil.

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Branson & Lady Sybil
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And I’m especially Team Bates & Anna. Oh Mr. Bates! Swoon!

Mr. Bates Anna

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If you’re looking for an English classic with a twist to enjoy during the show tonight, might I suggest Mini Shepherd’s Pies.

shepherd's pie downton abbey

The Countess Dowager may not approve of finger foods, but I’ll never tell her.

Mini Shepherd’s Pies

Recipe from LHJ Feb 2013, adapted

Makes about 36 bite-sized pies

Ingredients:

1 17 ounce package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
3 tablespoons EVOO
1/2 pound of ground beef
2 tablespoons minced tarragon
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 cup corn, canned
1/2 cup peas, canned
salt & pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes (I used Simply Potatoes, but you can certainly make your own too!)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Unroll your puff pastry sheets on the counter. Cut into 2 inch rounds. (I don’t have a pastry cutter, so I just used a shot glass to cut the pastry into circles.) Press the rounds into your muffin pan. Prick the bottoms of the pastry with a fork. Place the muffin tin into the freezer while preparing the filling.

Heat 1 tablespoon of EVOO in a skillet over medium heat. Brown the ground beef. Stir in the tarragon, chives, cumin, and garlic powder. Transfer the meat into a bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO to the skillet along with the diced onions and carrots. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add the corn and cook for about 2 minutes. Return the meat to the skillet and stir together. Add in the peas to the mixture along with salt & pepper to taste. Stir.

Scoop a small amount of filling into each puff pastry cup. Bake for about 16-18 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for just a few minutes. Remove from the muffin and pipe a dollop of heated mashed potatoes onto each pie.

Enjoy immediately while still hot!

shepherd's pie

*** If you’re looking for a recap of Downton Abbey to prep for tonight, my friend, Kristin, wrote a great one here!