Shehards pie, Biscuits and Muffins

• Shepards Pie!!!
• 2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4), peeled and thinly sliced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise, quartered if large, and thinly sliced
• 6 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 pounds ground beef chuck
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar (6 ounces)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, onion, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water; bring to a boil, and simmer 1 minute. Set beef filling aside.
   
3. Drain potatoes; return to pan. Cook over medium, stirring, until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1 cup cheese. Mash until smooth; season cheddar-potato topping with salt and pepper.
   
4. 
   
   Pour beef filling into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Drop dollops of topping over filling; spread to edges with a spatula. Using a fork, make decorative peaks; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 20 minutes (if topping and filling were chilled, increase to 35 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
   
    (Recipe courtesy of:http://www.marthastewart.com/sites/files/marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/everyday_food/2008Q4/ed104078_1008_shepard_pie_l.jp

 Biscuits:

2 cups AP flour
1tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons buttermilk for glaze 
Procedure
Preheat oven to 450. Measure the flour, baking powder, and salt into a food processor. Add the butter and pulse a few times till small, pea-like pieces form. Dump crumbs into a large bowl and stir in the buttermilk until the dough stays together. Do not over mix. It's better for the dough to seem too soft than too hard — that will make tough biscuits. Lightly flour the counter and knead dough 2 or 3 times to bring it together. Pat into a 6x8 rectangle, 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough into 9 even squares. Place biscuits onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Brush tops of biscuits with buttermilk. Bake for15-17 minutes, or until well-risen and golden brown. Eat them while they're hot, with butter. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it?

1. Shepherds Pie was probably invented sometime in the 18th Century by frugal peasant housewives looking for creative ways to serve leftover meat to their families. It is generally agreed that it originated in the north of England and Scotland where there are large numbers of sheep--hence the name. The actual phrase "Shepherd's Pie" dates back to the 1870s, when mincing machines made the shredding of meat easy and popular."

   Source(s):

   http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodpies.ht 
2. Our dish turned out pretty well. The vegetables could have been cooked longer because they were still crunchy and hard.  I  think it was all in all a good and easy dish to make.
3. In making biscuits it is good to cut in the butter because you want it to be flaky and not smooth.  Cutting in the butter will result in this
4. The key to making the biscuits it to not knead the dough too much.  You do not want the gluten to form because it will Result in your biscuits not being flaky.