It’s a Bird? It’s a Plane? It’s a Pie? No, It’s Comfort Food!

“I know! I know! I know teacher, call on me!” Hmmm, thinks the teacher. “Okay Little Suzie, just what is the item pictured?” “Why, teacher, everybody in our class KNOWS that it’s Shepherd’s Pie!” Buzzzz! “Wrong, Little Suzie! It is REALLY called Cottage Pie,” the teacher smiles smugly to herself. Poor Little Suzie, now she has a week of detention!

Wait a doggone minute, you say! I’ve been eating that dish all of my life, of course it is Shepherd’s Pie. Sorry, but it isn’t even really a pie, according to the purists on the other side of the Pond, who are considered to be the ultimate definers of all things pie.

In order to be considered a “real pie,” the filling must be encased (top, bottom and sides) in pastry dough. That requires getting all of the ingredients right, making the perfect pastry and baking it evenly. Anybody, it seems, can throw together this dish, which is rightly termed a “potato-topped casserole.”

What about those darlings of the American pie scene, namely lemon meringue, pumpkin and pecan? Those are not really pies, either, but tarts. Now you know!

So the next time you are craving what you think is a pie, ask this of yourself:  Is it REALLY pie that I want? Or is it something masquerading as a pie?

USE THE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE AND INSTRUCTIONS.

Quick Tip:  To give this dish a more interesting texture, try using shredded beef in place of ground beef.

Recipe and photo courtesy of April at Girl Gone Gourmet