The Italian Irishman's Pie

Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 servings

Description

Shepherd's Pie topped with mashed potatoes starts out Irish and gets some Italian flavor twists for a fun main dish.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
2 tablespoons sausage drippings
2 tablespoons margarine
2 apples, cored and sliced
1 large onion, sliced
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup water
3 cups prepared mashed potatoes
1 tablespoon melted margarine

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2 Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.
3 Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir Italian sausage until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer sausage to prepared casserole dish. Drain drippings and reserve 2 tablespoons drippings in the skillet.
4 Melt 2 tablespoons margarine in a separate skillet over medium heat; cook and stir apple and onion slices until tender, about 8 minutes. Place apple and onion in casserole dish with sausage.
5 Lightly stir sausage, apple, and onion together; season with salt, black pepper, and oregano.
6 Brown flour in reserved drippings in skillet over medium heat. Whisk water into flour until thick gravy forms, about 3 minutes.
7 Pour gravy over sausage mixture in the casserole dish; spread mashed potatoes over the top with a spoon, creating peaks. Lightly brush mashed potatoes with 1 tablespoon melted margarine.
8 Bake in the preheated oven until the potatoes are lightly browned and the sausage mixture is bubbling, about 30 minutes.