They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and for me this doesn't always apply to just family and friends. I am someone who loves to eat, which isn't necessarily a good thing, but it does mean that when I am away from home I miss some of the foods that I had readily at my fingertips. It is no surprise then that I already have somewhat of a list of foods to be consumed during my time back in Australia in a few short weeks. However, I have also begun to see this as an opportunity to find out if some items can be homemade with your own spin put on them if so desired. I did just this a few weeks ago when I combined two pies - the meat pie and the shepherd's pie. As a newbie to pastry options in Vancouver supermarkets and as someone who was a little bit pressed for time, I took a shortcut and purchased pre-made pastry shells that I just had to pop in the oven to bake as per the manufacturer's instructions. For the meat filling, I used the recipe found here minus the onion because I have never been a fan. To top it all off I peeled, diced and boiled a few potatoes until they were very tender. There is nothing I dislike more than lumpy mash potato so I always make myself patiently wait those few extra minutes just to be on the safe side. Mash potato consistency is each unto their own, but for mine I like to add margarine, milk, salt and pepper to taste.
To put this creation all together I spooned the meat filling into the pastry shells and put a dollop of mash potato on top. The finishing touch was a quick shake of a cheese mix I had on hand that consisted of parmesan, romano and asiago. I put them in the oven for about 10 minutes on 350 just to add a bit of colour to the cheese. Once ready to consume, these little meat pies go down well with a splash of ketchup.
I think it was a decent first attempt and I look forward to making the pastry from scratch next time.
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