Russian Sheperd's Pie

 Polly Clingerman has three cookbooks published, that I know about and I have all three. The one this recipe comes from is Polly Clingerman”s Dinner Companion.

This is so good and very easy to make. A nice twist on Shepherd Pie the crust is on the bottom and the cottage cheese and swiss cheese make a silky custardy top. Not a true shepherd pie as there are really no vegies except onion more of a egg and cheese type. Either way, great eating. If you use GF biscuit mix it becomes something Celiacs can eat also. However this time I just saved some of the filling and put it in to heat through when I added the swiss cheese. I served this with Harvard Beets to try to keep with the Russian theme.

Russian Shepherd’s Pie

Prep Time: 20 minutes    Cooking Time: 25 minutes

CRUST

2 cups biscuit mix regular or Gluten Free biscuit mix

1 egg slightly beaten

¼ cup milk

FILLING

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef

½ cup chopped onion

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dry Italian herb mix (check for gluten if you need GF)

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 clove garlic minced

TOPPING

1 egg slightly beaten 
2 cups creamy cottage cheese (not low fat)

½ cup shredded Swiss cheese

  Preheat oven to 375°

In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, salt, Italian herbs, pepper and garlic. Drain off any excess fat when the ground beef is brown.

 Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine biscuit mix, egg and milk. Pat it out to ½” thick and spread it into a lightly greased 9 or 10 inch pie plate. Set aside.

 In a small bowl combine the 1 beaten egg and cottage cheese.

 To assemble, spoon meat mixture into the dough lined pie plate, Spoon the cottage cheese mixed with the egg on top and lightly spread over meat mixture. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Top with the shredded Swiss cheese and return to oven, bake 10 minutes more until cheese is melted and the topping is set. Cool slightly and cut into pie wedges and serve.