We’re making a ‘shepherds’ pie for Christmas dinner. Air quotes because it’s neither a true shepherds or cottage pie since we’re using ground turkey.
As crazy as it seems, some family members don’t like mashed potatoes. I’m thinking about using sliced potatoes on one half and mashed on the other.
Any instructions or advice on how to make this work (or warnings if it will not)? How do I ensure the potatoes are thoroughly cooked, but not over cooked? How thick to slice them? Do I precook them partially or wholly?
I have a 14" cast iron skillet and was thinking half and half mashed vs. sliced potatoes. I do have a second, smaller skillet and could make separate pies if the cooking time is very different.
I’d probably just make two versions, rather than try to make a half-and-half of sliced and mashed potato toppings.
For the sliced potatoes, yes definitely precook them. What I’d probably do is bake them, then let them completely cool. that way you’ll be able to thin-slice them. Hot baked potatoes will just fall apart. So you might want to bake them today, let them cool to room temp and refrigerate overnight. Use a very sharp knife to cut them thin. And by ‘thin’ you probably won’t be able to do potato-chip thin, more like between 1/4" - 1/8".
Don’t worry about overcooking the potatoes-- when cooking the sliced potato version in the oven you’ll probably want to go hot, like 400-425F, and cook only until the top of the potatoes have started to brown some. They shouldn’t be overcooked to any great degree.
Alternatively, you could cut them raw, and you would be able to cut them more thin that way, and then cook them in a pan with a little oil. Even maybe crisp them up some, like homemade potato chips. That might make for a nice crunchy topping that would be very different from mashed for those who don’t like mashed consistency.
This reminded me of a recipe that I’ve made and enjoyed. Maybe it’s close enough to what you’re making that you could use some of the potato prep tips to help you. My only comment is that I ended up with too much liquid, which may be my own fault for not following the note.
Since it isn’t potatoes themselves that are objectionable, I’d stir in a token amount of cheese, sprinkle some paprika in top, and say they’re ‘twice baked potatoes.’ See? They’re orangish, not mashed at all.
Speaking as someone who doesn’t much like mashed potatoes, that sounds horrible.
This, on the other hand, sounds tasty. I bet the frozen ones in a bag would work great.
I’d cook the two dishes separately. I have no idea if they need different cooking times, and I’d want the flexibility to take one out, sear one, whatever.