Shepherd’s Pot Pie

For the mashed potatoes:
Add diced potatoes to a pot of cold water. Bring water to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 15–20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain and set aside.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter, milk, and salt and pepper into the same pot. Once melted, add the potatoes back into the pot and mash. Set aside.

For the pot pie:
While potatoes are cooking, heat butter in a large saute pan over medium heat until melted. Add flour, onion, carrots, celery, and salt and pepper. Stir constantly while cooking for 8–10 minutes, or until vegetables are just getting tender. Remove from heat and add the milk and chicken stock.

Heat over medium to medium-high heat until mixture comes to a simmer, stirring constantly. Let simmer for 1 minute, until mixture thickens. Add cooked chicken and peas and simmer until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Press pie crust into an 8×8 pan. This might take some finagling to fit but luckily, pie crust is forgiving in this case.

Pour chicken pot pie mixture into the uncooked pie crust. Top with a layer of mashed potatoes, making sure to press the potatoes all the way to the edges. Top with 1 tablespoon of butter (cut into smaller pieces to spread over entire top).

Place pan on a foil-lined baking sheet (in case it spills over) and bake in a preheated oven for 30–35 minutes. Let sit 15 minutes before serving.

Note: If you don’t let the pot pie sit after baking, the chicken and veggie mixture will be thin and tend to run everywhere. Letting it sit for a bit helps the mixture to stay together a bit more while serving.