Shepherd’s Pie Pizza #PiDay

Whether you like pizza, pie, or Irish food this Shepherd’s pie pizza has it all. From a potato bread crust, to the classic Shepherd’s pie filling, finished off with mashed potato topping.

Happy Pi(e) Day! Both the math lover and pie lover in me loves celebrating this holiday. Here I was thinking I would be different this year and post not only a savory pie, but a festive one for St. Patrick’s Day. Only to realize exactly a year ago I shared a shepherd’s pie recipe… stuffed inside of twice baked potato skins. That being said, I gave myself a new challenge by making yet another variation of my tried and true pizza dough – potato dough! All I really did was take my recipe for potato burger buns and instead of dividing it into balls to become buns I rolled the dough out into one large pizza. The end result was just a bit more crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside than your typical pizza crust.

The dough was literally topped with the same filling you would make for an actual Shepherd’s Pie. Then, of course there’s no way I could get away with calling this Shepherd’s Pie pizza without more potato on top so, sure enough I spread out a nice layer of mashed potatoes on top (sprinkled with shredded gouda for good measure) before transferring to the oven to bake. Oh and that cheese did turn a perfect golden color. The final product was like eating a double crusted pizza, with potato on top and potato on bottom. Nothing wrong with that!

Happy Pi Day! Terri of Love and Confections gathered up a group of blog friends to celebrate by sharing some delicious pies with you. Check out the rest of the recipes for a delicious #piday!

Cherry Hand Pies from Love and Confections
Chocolate Orange Free Form Pie from The Bitter Side of Sweet
Chocolate Peanut Butter Freezer Pie from Feeding Big
Fried Apple Pies from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Gluten Free Death By Chocolate Pie from Gluten Free Crumbley
Mini Shamrock Pie from The Freshman Cook
Shepherd’s Pie Pizza from The Spiffy Cookie
Sweet Potato Pie from My Catholic Kitchen

One year ago: Shepherd’s Pie Potato Skins

Two years ago: Coconut-Pistachio Pie

Three years ago: Crustless Ginger Blueberry-Pear Pie

Four years ago: Banana Pudding Pie

Five years ago: Flower Bouquet Cake Pops

Six years ago: Cookies and Cream Peanut Butter Pie

SHEPHERD’S PIE PIZZA

Makes 1 large pizza

Ingredients:

CRUST

1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

1 envelope (2-1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

1 Tbsp sugar

2-1/4 cups bread flour

1 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp salt

TOPPING

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb. ground lamb

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup dry red wine

10 oz. (2 cups) frozen carrot, corn, pea mix

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp whole grain mustard

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 Tbsp milk

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

3/4 cup shredded gouda

Directions:

1. Place potatoes in medium saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Drain potatoes, reserving 5 tablespoons of the potato water in a small bowl. Return potatoes to the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, shaking pot occasionally, until any surface moisture has evaporated, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Process potatoes through ricer or food mill, food processor or mash well with potato masher. Stir in butter until melted.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the warm reserved potato water, yeast and sugar. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add flour, half of the mashed potatoes, egg and salt and mix until combined. Knead with dough hook on low speed until dough is soft and slightly sticky, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Shape dough into ball and place in lightly greased bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, about 40-60 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with a pizza stone on lower third of the oven.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes or until softened. Add meat and cook, breaking it up, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
7. Add wine and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Add veggies and remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
8. To the remaining potatoes, add milk, salt, and pepper and whip until smooth.
9. Once the dough has doubled, roll out to desired size and transfer to a pizza peel (or flat baking sheet) sprinkled with cornmeal. Spread filling evenly over the pizza dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border for the crust. Top with mashed potatoes and cheese.
10. Transfer to the pizza stone (it’ll take a couple shakes) and bake for 20-25 minutes or until it the crust turns golden and the cheese starts to bubble. Allow to cool slightly before cutting and serve sprinkled with cilantro, if desired.

Source: Crust adapted from my Potato Burger Buns, and topping adapted from my Shepherd’s Pie Potato Skins.