Ghostly little figures hover over the meaty pie in this recipe for a favorite main dish that’s dressed up to match the spirit of Halloween.
The recipe is from “Betty Crocker Celebrate!” ($24.95), defined on the book cover as a year-round guide to holiday food and fun.
The annual variety of feasts begins with New Year’s Eve, and includes Chinese New Year and Cinco de Mayo, besides all the standard American celebrations.
There are recipes to fit all these occasions, and plenty of color photos and decorative suggestions for presentation and serving. All this makes the cookbook eye-catching and helpful as a source for party and entertainment planners.
A note with this recipe refers to the old belief that you could drive away the ghosts that came out at Halloween by lighting lanterns or candles – and suggests you could mimic that purpose and also grace your holiday table by setting it with lighted candles.
Ghostly shepherd’s pie
1pound lean ground beef
1medium onion, coarsely chopped
21/2cups frozen mixed vegetables
1141/2-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained
112-ounce jar homestyle beef gravy
13/4cups water
2tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4teaspoon garlic powder
1/2cup milk
21/4 cups instant mashed potatoes
1/4cup grated Parmesan cheese
1egg, slightly beaten
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12-inch skillet with cooking spray. Cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain.
Set 12 peas aside for garnish. Add remaining frozen vegetables, tomatoes and gravy to beef mixture. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, bring water, margarine and garlic powder to a boil. Remove from heat; add milk. Stir in potato flakes and cheese. Add egg; blend well.
Spoon ground beef mixture into ungreased 8-inch square (2-quart) or oval (21/2-quart) glass baking dish. With large spoon, make 6 mounds of potato mixture on top of beef mixture to resemble ghosts. Place 2 reserved peas on each mound to resemble eyes.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until potatoes are set and mixture is thoroughly heated.
Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 365 cal., 19 g fat (9 g saturated), 95 mg cholesterol, 620 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrates., 4 g dietary fiber, 23 g protein.
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