Serves 6-8
 
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 2-inch cubes (leave the peels on)
2 pounds ground beef, pork, lamb, or combination
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 carrot, grated
2.5 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup stock (vegetable, beef, or chicken)
2 cups peas, frozen and thawed
1/3 cup butter
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

1. In a 4-quart sauce pot, cover the potatoes with water, plus 1 teaspoon salt and boil until they are tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. 
2. While the potatoes are cooking, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the ground beef, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Brown the ground beef breaking it up a bit as you are cooking it. I like to use a 10-inch cast iron pan and then use it to bake the pie in after. You can  use any oven-proof pan.
3. Remove the cooked ground beef to a bowl and set aside. Return the pan to the stove and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Add the vegetables and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Add the cooked and seasoned ground beef back into the pan and stir in the tomato paste and stock. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes. 
5. When the potatoes cooked, drain well and put the potatoes back into the pot with the butter and mash. Stir in the thawed peas, 2/3 cup of the cheese, and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
6. Spoon the meat mixture into a deep-dish pie pan or a large baking dish. Cover with the potato and pea mixture and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese over the top.
7. Bake for another 30 minutes or until heated through and the potatoes are lightly browned.

Variations:

• Curried Cottage Pie, instead of adding herbs, add 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1 teaspoon ground coriander to the ground beef while it is cooking.
• Substitute the potatoes with mashed rutabaga, celery root (celeriac), or cauliflower. These are lower carb alternatives for potatoes.

I love Kate McDermott's recipes. Easy, delicious, and soul warming. This recipe is from her best selling book "The Art of the Pie". Check out her website, enjoy the recipes, and buy her pie cookbooks!

 Serves 6-8
 
1.5 pounds ground beef
2 teaspoons thyme (dry is just fine---or 1 tablespoon fresh leaves)
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 gratings nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon ground pepper
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and chopped small
5 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
2 large carrots, grated
2.5 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup stock (vegetable, beef, or chicken)
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
1/3 cup butter
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper

1. Heat up a big frying pan over medium high heat and add the meat and seasonings and cook until the meat no longer looks pink. You can break it up a bit as you are cooking it.
2. Add the vegetables and cook for 5-7 minutes longer.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and stir and cook for a few minutes more.
4. Add the stock, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
5. In another pot, cover the potatoes with water, plus 1 teaspoon salt and boil until they are tender about 20 minutes. Drain well and put them back into the pot with the butter and 2/3 cup of the cheese, and thyme. Mash until smooth. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
6. Spoon the meat mixture into a deep-dish pie pan or a large baking dish. Cover with the potato mixture and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese over the top. Bake for 30 minutes.

 
Alternatives:

• Replace the potatoes with lower carb substitutes like rutabaga, celery root (celeriac), or cauliflower. Cook as you do the potatoes.
• Replace the ground beef with ground pork, lamb, turkey or chicken.
• Herbs-rosemary, sage, or dill. Add to the cooked meat and taste. Add more if needed.
• Spices: instead of allspice and nutmeg try 1 tablespoon of one of these seasonings: curry powder, Southwest seasoning, Moroccan seasoning.

Thank you goes to Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman for this recipe. You must check out her wonderful website and her cookbooks. I spend lots of time with both getting inspired.

1 round of pie dough (1/2 recipe Art of the pie double crust pie dough-recipe here)
1 large or 2 small zucchinis, sliced into 1/4 inch-thick rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup (about 2 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup (2 oz) shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon slivered basil leaves
 
Glaze: 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

1. Spread the zucchini out over several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let drain for 30 minutes; gently blot the tops of the zucchini dry with paper towels before using. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and the garlic together; set aside. 
3. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, and 1 teaspoon of the garlicky olive oil together and season with salt and pepper to taste. 
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
5. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet or onto a piece of parchment paper place on the baking sheet. 
6. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the galette dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Shingle the zucchini attractively on top of the ricotta in concentric circles, starting at the outside edge. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of the garlic and olive oil mixture evenly over the zucchini. 
7. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze.
8. Bake the galette until the cheese is puffed, the zucchini is slightly wilted and the galette is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with basil, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

 
Alternatives

• Asparagus instead of zucchini. Cut asparagus into thin slices at a sharp angle. Follow step one in recipe. After drying with a paper towel, spread evenly over the ricotta mixture. Finish galette as directed.
• Cook these vegetables to release the moisture before arranging on top of the ricotta filling. 
  • Mushrooms with rosemary
  • Leeks with mint
  • Roasted butternut squash cubes (about 1 pound) with sage
• Add 2 cups cooked, finely shredded chicken breast onto the filling and top with a vegetable that has been prepared to reduce moisture. Note: It’s important to shred or cut the chicken fine to make cutting the galette even.
• Cooked ground beef seasoned with herbs
• Cooked bacon, chopped.
• Shrimp, raw, placed artfully with the top layer of vegetable
• Add 2 tablespoons of Liz's Gremolata to the cheese mixture to add a bright lemon flavor
• Use a variety of herbs to flavor the tart-basil, parsley, thyme, dill, or tarragon 
• Cheese alternative to mozzarella in the ricotta mixture
  • Gruyere
  • Stilton
  • Cheddar
  • Feta

I will not take credit for this perfect pie crust recipe. Thank Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie® for this recipe. 
I recommend her best selling book "Art of the Pie"  www.artofthepie.com.” 

2-1/2 cups (363g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp (3g) salt
*8 Tbs (112g) of Kerrygold or other salted or unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon size pieces
*8 Tbs (112g) leaf lard (where to get it: https://fannieandflo.net/ )very cold shortening can be substituted for lard
8 Tbs (118g) of ice water (This is an average but sometimes the dough takes more or less.)
*(For ALL BUTTER dough use 14 Tbs (196g) of Kerrygold or other salted or unsalted butter for your total fat)

1. Put all ingredients but the ice water in a large bowl.
2. With clean hands, blend the mixture together until it looks like coarse meal with some lumps in it that looks like cracker crumbs, peas, and almonds. The lumps make flakey pies.
3. Sprinkle ice water over mixture and stir lightly with a fork.
4. Squeeze a handful of dough together. Mix in a bit more water if it doesn’t keep together.
5. Divide the dough in half and make two chubby disks about 5 inches across.
6. Wrap the disks separately in plastic wrap and chill for about an hour.
7. Take out one disk and put it on a well-floured board, pastry cloth, parchment paper or plastic wrap.
8. Sprinkle some flour onto the top of the disk. Thump the disk with your rolling pin several times.
9. Turn it over and thump the other side.
10. Sprinkle more flour onto the top of the crust if needed to keep the pin from sticking and roll the crust out from the center in all directions.
11. When it is an inch or so larger than your pie pan, brush off the extra flour on both sides. Fold the dough over the top of the pin and lay it in the pie pan carefully.
12. Donʼt worry if the crust needs to be patched together; just paint a little water where it needs to be patched and “glue” on the patch piece.
13. Put the filling in the pie and repeat the process with the other disk.

 
Notes
This recipe will make one double-crust pie or two single-crust pies for 9" pie pans. Leaf lard is available at some butcher shops, farmers markets and also by mail-order. It will take about 5-7 minutes to put the dough together. Minimum chill time is 20 minutes but 1-2 hours is great. After chilling, dough discs may be frozen for up to 1 month. Be Happy and Make Pie!