Minced Beef and Portobello Mushroom Pie

Dale and I were gifted a 1/4 of a cow for Christmas. So I needed a recipe to use it in.  It has become a little more difficult as I have found out I have a sensitivity to tomatoes.  So no more bolognase sauce or chilli or sloppy joes for me.  All of which are staples in our home. So I decided to become creative and came up with this recipe:

2lb Ground Beef
6-8 Portobello Mushrooms
1 Lg Onion
1 1/2 cups Wine (red or white would work fine)
4 cups Beef Broth
1 1/2 tbsp Corn or Potato Starch
10 fresh Sage Leaves
10 sprigs of Fresh Thyme (leaves only)
1 1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Salt
10 medium Sized Potatoes
2 lg Cloves of Garlic

Cook up your ground beef in a skillet being carful not to brown. Remove beef and drain off any excess fat.

Wipe clean mushrooms with a damp papertowel.  Cut Portabello mushrooms into 1/2 inch cubes and begin to fry in the same skillet.  Once mushrooms have begin to soften add your onion.

Once both mushrooms and onion are soft but not overly brown deglaze your pan with the wine.

Add 3 cups of the broth, reserving the last cup to mix with the corn or potato starch.  Combine and add to skillet.

Add beef back to pan along with sage, thyme, pepper and salt.  Bring liquid to a boil so that it can thicken then turn back to summer for 5 minutes.  Add garlic in when you turn it down to simmer.  This allows for a fresher garlic taste in the finished product. Taste mixture and add more salt or pepper to taste.

You may add Peas or frozen vegetables of any kind to make this a balanced meal.  I served mine with a salad.

Add mixture to a deep casserole dish or cast iron pot.

Slice potatoes evenly.  I use a mandolin to achieve even slices.   Add to a pot of water and boil until potatoes begin to soften.  Drain and place potatoes in even layers over the beef mixture.

Freeze for a later date or place in oven for 45 minutes at 350 uncovered.  Turn on broiler for last couple of minutes to crisp up the potatoes.