Shepherd’s Hand Pies Recipe from Kid Agape

On Sunday, November 16, the children of Saint Mark’s prepared a tasty, hearty Agape meal fitting for the cooler weather and our first indoor Agape of the season! We made miniature hand pies with a shepherd’s pie filling, and many folks asked for the recipe. Here it is!

Ingredients

• 1lb ground beef
• 1 onion
• 1 bag frozen diced vegetables (we used one that had peas, carrots, corn, lima beans and green beans)
• 2 russet potatoes
• 2 tubes of pre-made biscuit dough
• 1 packet beef stew spices (we used this one – note that these packets often contain additives and thickeners, so if you’re cooking for someone with dietary considerations, be sure to check the ingredients. You can also make your own with recipes like this.)

Materials

• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper or aluminum foil
• Strainer or colander
• Large mixing bowls
• Pot with lid
• Frying pan
• Cutting boards
• Sharp knives
• Large spoons for scooping and mixing
• Small spoon and fork

Directions

Preheat the oven according to the biscuit dough instructions.

Remove the biscuit dough from the fridge so it can begin to warm up.

Lay parchment paper or aluminum foil onto the baking sheets.

Start a pot of water boiling.

Dice the onion. If you are making this recipe with kids, they are extra sensitive to the onion fumes. Sticking the onion in the fridge before chopping it up will reduce its eye-stinging properties, and have an adult do this so it can go quickly and safely.

Heat the ground beef and diced onion in a frying pan. This is a great job for a kid old enough to be safe around the stove. They may need to be shown how to use a wooden spoon or pan-safe spatula to break apart the ground beef and mix it, cooking until no pink is visible in the meat.

Once the ground beef and onion are finished, transfer the from the frying pan to a large mixing bowl. You can use this opportunity to drain off some of the grease if desired.

Combine the beef stew spices with a small amount of water and add to the meat and onions. Stir to mix. This is a great job for smaller hands. They can use a measuring cup with a spout to measure out some water, then open the packet, pour it in, and stir as much as they like. Then they can pour it into the bowl with meat in it and stir some more.

Dice the potato into small cubes, 1 inch or smaller. You do not need to peel them first. This is a job that even a small kid can help with. Have an adult or older kid cut the potato lengthwise into long rectangular strips, then let the child use a safe knife to cut up the strips. You can also bake or boil the potatoes ahead of time and put them in the fridge to cool, then have kids cut up the softened potatoes.

Transfer the diced potato cubes to the pot of boiling water. Use a large spoon or ladle to do this to avoid splash danger.

While the potatoes are cooking, open the biscuit dough tubes. Remove the biscuits and put them on the baking trays.

“Peel” each biscuit lengthwise to make two thinner pieces.

Use your fingers to press and stretch the biscuit pieces into flatter, larger circles. This is much easier to do once they’re a bit warmed up, hence removing them from the fridge earlier.

Once the potatoes are done, place the colander in the sink.

Open the bag of frozen veggies and pour it into the colander.

Pour the pot of cooked potatoes into the colander. This will drain the potatoes and quickly thaw the veggies.

Move the veggies and potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. This is a good job for small kids. The potatoes will get “mashed” in with the veggies.

Combine the meat/onion/spices mixture with the veggies and potatoes. Stir to combine. You may need to use multiple bowls to fit it all. Kids enjoy using ladles or large spoons to move the right amount of meat/onions and veggie/potatoes to a new bowl.

Taste your filling mixture and add any extra seasonings if needed.

Using a small spoon and a fork, place a scoop of filling onto a circle of biscuit dough. Fold it over, then use a fork to “crimp” the edges closed. If you are doing this with kids, it will get messy. Many of the pies will not be properly closed, but this is OK – the fillings will stay in place during baking.

Bake according to the biscuit dough instructions. Once they are golden brown on top, take them out of the oven. Let them cool for a bit on their trays before removing them – this helps them keep their shape.

Serve and eat!

Swaps & Dietary Considerations

I think these would be delicious served with a ground mustard dip, like you might use for German pretzels. Or try them with a sharp cheddar cheese.

You can swap the fillings for whatever you like – use sweet potatoes instead; try different veggies like chopped broccoli and cauliflower; or use ground turkey or sausage.

You can also make them vegetarian by omitting the ground meat and sauteing the onions in butter or oil instead. Most biscuit dough has dairy ingredients in it, so it won’t be good for vegans, but you could try serving it with a heart vegan sourdough.

If you have gluten free guests, you can serve just the filling over a bed of mashed potatoes or as stuffing for a baked potato (reduce the amount of potatoes in the filling if you do this). Be sure to check the ingredients of whatever spice packets you use.