Delectables with Dan Presents: Mini Vegan Shepard's Pie

Spring may be here but sometimes you just want something hot and filling at night-Oh, Christ, that sounded far more suggestive than I intended. Anyway, tonight's dish is a mini shepherds pie baked in a mini cast iron skillet served with broccoli. The past few nights I've really not been in the mood for cooking, but I've gotta work through those feelings and keep my eye on the prize. 

Two small red potatoes 

2 tablespoons vegan butter or vegan butter substitute

4 tablespoons cashew milk 

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon salt

1 finely chopped garlic clove 

1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

1 celery stock*

1 medium-sized carrot

1/4c. chopped mushrooms

1/2 tablespoon of flour 

1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

1/4 red onion 

1/2 teaspoon tomato paste 

1/2c beefless mince beef*

*celery is optional

*Can be any vegan mince crumbles of choice, I'm just using Gardein as usual. I use them for so many recipes, I think they owe me a coupon or something! 

This recipe serves two with sides. I paired it with some oven roasted cherry tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt. And yes, the photo features two large, alright JUMBO red potatoes, rather than the medium that the recipe calls for. Why? Because was hungry and I knew damn well I was going to be chowing down on some of those mashed potatoes long before the pie finished baking.

You're going to want to start by prepping your vegetables. Peel both your carrot and potatoes. Put the potatoes on to boil (this should take 15-20 minutes) and while they are cooking, dice up the rest of your vegetables. The garlic should be chopped now as well. If you don't have fresh garlic, you can use minced garlic that comes in little jars. Add the olive oil to the pan and add your vegetables under low-medium heat. Cook until vegetables are soft, mushrooms will be browned. Before the vegetables are fully softened add the minced beefless crumbles if you are using them. They should brown up nicely, mix the mince with the vegetables.



Once the potatoes have boiled and are soft, drain the water from them, add in the vegan butter, cashew milk, rosemary, salt and pepper if you desire. The potatoes should be soft enough to be whipped into a creamy mash with an electric hand mixer. Whip until the mash is creamy and smooth. Spray the small cast iron pan with non-stick cooking spray before adding the vegetable mix or vegetable-mince mix to it. You don't want it sticking. Scoop the mash on top of the mixture in the pan, making sure that you've got a nice thick layer on top. Smooth it out and garnish with rosemary or cilantro and black pepper if desired. Put under the broiler until the top of the mash becomes a nice golden brown colour or the top becomes crisp, almost like a crepe paper texture.



Allow your pie to sit for 5 minutes before plating. Use a small spatula or serving spoon to scoop a decent sized portion onto a place and place with sides. It pairs well with broccoli in addition to the cherry tomatoes. I was too full from eating the extra mash from earlier to add the other side. Honestly, it was a great change from some of the other things that I've done. I'm thinking of doing a slightly different vegan version, but we'll see as the spring turns into summer. 

There will be a new Happiness & Homicide coming up soon I think and another Delectables with Dan or two before the Easter specials take over. I know I've not been that productive this month, but I've got a lot of things going on.