As you may have guessed from the title, this single-serving Shepherd's Pie with Quail Egg recipe is a bit different from the traditional shepherd's pie. Your friends and family will definitely be pleasantly surprised to find a quail egg as they dig into their shepherd's pie. Quail eggs add more nutrition and creativity to the dish! Win-Win!
3tablespoonsmarinara sauceor two tablespoons tomato paste
1tablespoonflour
1cupbeef or chicken broth
1cupfrozen mixed vegetables
8quail eggsor one per serving bowl
For the mashed potato topping:
4large potatoes - russet or Yukon gold
1/2teaspoonsaltor more to taste
1large chicken egg
1tablespoonchive cream cheese - or herb cream cheese
1tablespoonbuttermelted
optional for garnishment:
pinchsweet paprika
pinchground black pepper
pinchdried parsley flakes
chopped chives
Instructions
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place 8 (6 oz. each) oven-safe bowls on the parchment paper-lined dish. Set aside.
Prepare the meat filling:
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and add the chopped onion. Sauté onion until translucent - reduce heat to medium if the onion is starting to burn.
Add the ground meat. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add the salt, ground black pepper, dried parsley flakes, and sweet paprika. Stir well to combine all flavors and break up the meat a bit more. Sauté until the meat has cooked through - about 5-6 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and marinara sauce. Cook for about 1 minute and add the flour. Stir for 1 minute.
Now add the beef or chicken broth and the frozen mixed vegetables. Mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for another 5 minutes. Give it a taste and add more salt if needed. Stir well. Set aside and allow the filling in the skillet to cool.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit while you prepare the mashed potatoes.
Prepare the mashed potato topping:
Preboil water in a kettle (fill the kettle to a maximum). Peel the potatoes and chop them into smaller pieces so they cook quicker. Make sure the pieces are approximately the same size so they cook evenly. Rinse the potatoes and place them in a pot.
Pour the boiled water from the kettle into the pot, just enough to cover the potatoes, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer the potatoes for approximately 15 minutes. To check if the potatoes are ready, pierce a couple of potato pieces with a fork or a toothpick. If potatoes are tender, they are ready.
Drain the potatoes in the pot. Add salt, cream cheese, raw egg and, using a potato masher, start mashing right away before the egg begins to cook in the hot potatoes. Mash the potatoes until smooth.
Arrange in bowls and bake:
Distribute half of the meat filling among the serving bowls. Carefully crack one quail egg into each bowl, over the meat. Distribute the remainder of the meat over the quail egg.
Using a tablespoon, scoop the mashed potatoes and spread over the meat in each single-serve bowl. Spread evenly, covering any gaps.
Drizzle some paprika, dried parsley, and ground black pepper. Dip the bristles of a basting brush in the melted butter and brush the top of each mashed potato-topped dish.
Place on the center rack in the oven. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes have started to brown. Garnish with some chopped chives.
Notes
As an appetizer - serves 6-8 depending on the size of the serving bowls. As main dish - serves 2-3 Cream cheese: so, there are so many options for the type of cream cheese you can use. I love adding chive cream cheese, but there is also herb and garlic cream cheese that works so great in this dish. Plane cream cheese, or even sour cream, will work too, but I just like adding that extra flavor that comes with the flavored cream cheeses. Just make sure not to add the sweet kinds, like strawberry, or cinnamon flavored. If you prefer not to add the egg to the potatoes, you can stir in one tablespoon of butter instead.Caution: if you are allergic to chicken eggs, you may be allergic to quail eggs. Some may be allergic to quail eggs even if they are not allergic to chicken eggs. make sure to break down the meat to a fine crumble - a potato masher helps a great dealdo not overcrown your pan when cooking the meat; use a large panmake sure your mashed potatoes are smooth and creamy, clump free - the egg and cream cheese will help . Mash them well!Allow the shepherd's pie to rest about 5 minutes after taking it out of the oven and before serving. This will help the flavors settle in the pie.