Hungarian Shepherd's Pie

This great winter classic is a twist on the old standard British shepherd's pie, and was made with leftover sliced London Broil from the previous Shabbos. London Broil, even when marinated, is a slightly tougher cut of meat, so it can stand being cooked longer with the shepherd's pie veggies to soften and carmelize. I have made the same dish before with ground turkey, ground chicken, ground beef, and leftover sliced chicken. You may have to amp up the spicing to give a little more pop if you do it with chicken.

The pie also stands up great to reheating, which is pretty important to me these days, considering that my two-month old babies aren't yet on the same dinner schedule as their father and me!

Crust:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup oil (I use, and recommend Mazola Corn Plus+ with Omega Threes)
5 tbsp water
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp caraway seeds (optional)
1 tsp dehydrated or granulated garlic

Filling:

1 to 2 pounds cooked london broil beef or similar already cooked roasted or ground meat, in bite-sized pieces
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups onions, minced
2 cups carrots, chopped fine in food processor
2 cups celery, chopped fine in food processor
2 cups sweet red, yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped fine in food processor
2 packages mushrooms, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
1-2 tbsp smoked paprika (optional)
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp caraway seeds (optional)
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper (or less, to taste)
1-2 tbsp kosher salt (to taste)

Topping:

2 large baking or yellow potatoes (Yukon Gold or Idaho)
2 tbsp margarine (I use and recommend Earth Balance Soy Veggy Sticks)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix crust ingredients together and press into a non-stick pan (I use my favorite pie pan but I line it with Reynolds Non-Stick foil), approximately 1/4 inch thick. Press up the sides of the pan for a more attractive look. Prick all over with a fork. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until browned.

In one pot, peel and boil potatoes with salt. Drain and mash with margarine and additional salt, garlic powder and pepper as desired.

In a deep saute pan, carmelize the onions with olive oil until soft and browned, at least 10 minutes on medium heat. Add the meat in bite-sized pieces, or simply cook ground meat with the carmelized onions. Add carrots, celery, peppers and garlic, and cook until all are softened before adding the mushrooms. Let the mushrooms cook down until they produce liquid. Take mixture off flame. Do not drain liquid.

Spoon meat/veggie mixture on top of the crust, then top with mashed potatoes. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until potatoes are browned. Serve piping hot!