Chicken "Shepherd's" Pie

Ok. I know true shepherd's pie is made with lamb... but I had leftover chicken to use and topping my pie with mashed potatoes sounded awesome.  But in this recipe I even used *gasp* instant mashed potatoes.  I didn't have any potatoes and since it was snowing I didn't want to go out.  I had the instant mashed potatoes around because a lot of the bread recipes Jeremy and I have been making in our bread machine call for them.

I made this using 5" pie dishes so that each of us got our own pie.  :)  You could certainly double this recipe and make it in a normal size pie dish to make it for 4 people.  I made sure to put the pie dishes on top of a sheet tray when baking to keep the oven clean in case of any spillovers.

This was incredibly comforting and delicious.  The herbs I used in the filling were reminiscent of a great thanksgiving meal (mostly due to the sage...).  The mashed potatoes were fine (a little like potato grits if you ask me...) but would probably have been better if I'd made them from fresh potatoes -- I'd recommend doing that and if I have them around in the future I probably will.  But this was a good substitution in the meantime -- and they were easier.

You could also substitute other types of meat.  Like I said above, real shepherd's pie is lamb, cottage pie is beef.  But you could also use turkey or pork and it would be delicious.  This would also probably make a great veggie pie if more veggies (and veggie stock) was used.

This was a great way to use up a lot of veggies and chicken that wouldn't have lasted too much longer.  And since it was in the oven for a while, I got some work done while it was cooking.  Overall a great success.

The filling

Recipe:
1 1/2 c. shredded, cooked chicken
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels
3/4 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. skim milk
1 1/3 c. garlic mashed potatoes (I put 1 tsp. of minced garlic into my instant mashed... just follow the directions or make your own.)
1/2 tsp. minced sage (I had fresh that needed to be used)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley leaves
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary (I crush this in my hands before putting it in the filling)
2 tbs. margarine
1 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. AP flour
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil.  Add carrots, onions, and celery.  Saute for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften.  Add garlic, sage, thyme, parsley, and rosemary, saute for 1-2 min.  Add margarine and allow to melt.  Add flour and mix well to combine.  Add chicken stock and milk and stir to combine.  Bring the liquid to a boil to thicken.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add chicken and corn and mix well to combine.  (It should be a fairly thick mixture. If it's too thin, boil longer or add a little flour.)
2. Spoon the filling into two individual pie dishes or oven-proof bowls.  Top with mashed potatoes.  Smooth the mashed potatoes evenly to cover the filling.  Place the pie dishes on top of a sheet tray.
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown on top.