Tonight is the season 3 premiere of Downton Abbey. I’m excited to see how things are going for the Grantham family.
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.
Branson & Lady Sybil
source
And I’m especially Team Bates & Anna. Oh Mr. Bates! Swoon!
If you’re looking for an English classic with a twist to enjoy during the show tonight, might I suggest Mini Shepherd’s Pies.
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!
*** If you’re looking for a recap of Downton Abbey to prep for tonight, my friend, Kristin, wrote a great one here!
I haven’t gotten on the Downtown Abbey kick yet but I hear so much good things about it that I think I will be checking it out soon! Oh, and who doesn’t love ‘mini’ or ‘bite sized’ anything… always so cute!
I am a huge fan of puff pastry, so I LOVE these little bites! I think I need to catch up on past seasons of Downton Abbey and see what the fuss is all about!!
Cool recipe to go with such a great show … Just watched the premier on the DVR … good stuff 🙂
We are officially totally hooked. And yes, I said “we.” We got season 1 from NetFlix and Brian agreed to watch it with me just to please me. After every episode he said I’d be on my own for season 2. But when we were all done he asked when the season 2 DVD was arriving. I gave him a look and he said ‘OK, I give up, I’m hooked.’ 🙂 🙂 We’ll be done watching season 2 just as NetFlix will be getting season 3 and it’s killing me to not watch it on Sunday nights but I want to see it in order. And yes, we’re all about Mr. Bates and Anna!
I saw that season 3 comes out the end of this month…since it’s already played in England. I’ll probably skip ahead and watch those when they are out versus waiting each Sunday. I’m impatient!
So much love for Downton Abbey. We finally saw the premiere last night (the first half, at least), and I have missed it!
Hi Julie! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog! So happy to connect with another austin blogger!
I wondered why sugarfoot, and now that I know the reason why, it’s so endearing and so cute 😉
I also love almost everything on your list! I look forward to meeting you at an AFBA event soon as well!
I haven’t seen Downtown Abbey yet. I know. Give it to me..haha..it’s just out of fear that I’ll get hooked. I’m waiting till this summer..just give me a week, and I’ll catch up, no problem! That’s how I roll 😉
I’m going back and reading all the posts I’ve missed out on…I love your writing style! So humorous and down-to-earth! Look forward to following you!