BBQ Beef & Mashed Potato Pie

Sometimes on a cold day, I just crave comfort foods like shepherd's pie.  I found this recipe in a Womans Day magazine one day.  The weather was cold that day and it seemed so simple that I had to try it. 

BBQ Beef & Mashed Potato Pie

Ingredients:

2 lb Yukon gold or white potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 in. pieces
Kosher salt and pepper
4 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
4 plum (Roma) tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 c. ketchup
2 T. cider vinegar
1 T. dijon mustard
1 T. molasses
1 T. worcestershire sauce

Directions: 

Place the potatoes in a pot.  Add cold water to cover; bring to a boil.  Add 1 t. salt; simmer until just tender, 15 to 18 minutes.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid; drain the potatoes and return to the pot.  Mash with 3 T. olive oil, 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper and 2 Tbsp of the reserved cooking liquid (add more liquid if necessary.)

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the remaining Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper and cook, covered stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. 

Heat broiler.  Add the beef to the onion and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes.  Spoon off and discard any grease.  Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes.  In a bowl, whisk together the ketchup, vinegar, mustard, molasses, and worcestershire; add to the beef and cook, stirring, for 1 minutes.

Transfer the beef mixture to a 2 quart broiler-proof baking dish and top with the mashed potatoes.  Broil until beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes.

In my test kitchen:

When I made the mashed potatoes, I reserved more than 1/4 cup just to be safe.  And I did use a little bit more than that so it was a good thing I saved more.  I also added a little butter and milk too for a smoother,  more flavorful texture.  I also just BARELY noticed that I was supposed to cover the onion while I cooked it....whoops.  Not sure it would make much difference.  My stove runs hot so I think medium was too high to cook these onions for a full 8 minutes, especially if I had covered the onions while cooking.  I would reduce your heat to medium-low.  I also made sure to create some swirls and peaks with the potatoes so only those taller tips would get browned. When broiling, make sure your over rack is set at the highest level. 

~Happy Cooking!