Chinese Pie
Ingredients
- This makes four servings.
- 1 lb. of ground beef
- 1 Tablespoon of oil to the cover bottom of the frying pan
- 3 cups mashed potatoes
- one 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly cook the ground
beef until it's no longer pink, stirring to break it up. Drain off any
excess fat. Salt and pepper to taste. You can bake the pie right in the
frying pan, a cast iron one is best, or you can put the ground beef in
a lightly oiled, two- or three-quart baking dish. Cover the ground beef
with the corn. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the corn and spread
gently to cover completely. Try to not disturb the layers of corn and
beef. Bake for 25 or 30 minutes. The potatoes should start to brown.
Notes
This is really a lot like what the British call Shepherd's
Pie. But in Wilton, Maine in 1951, the Grammar School cafeteria served
this dish frequently and called it Chinese Pie. Everybody loved it. I
told my mother about it and it became popular at home, too. There was
no explanation for the name and nothing about it is Chinese at all. It
is almost always served with green peas on the side. And plenty of ketchup.
VARIATIONS — It's even better with some or all of the following
additions:
- — Add some finely chopped garlic and/or onion to the pan and cook in the oil for a few minutes, then add the raw ground beef and cook it as mentioned above.
- — When the beef is cooked add half a can of beef gravy or brown gravy. Then add the layers of corn and potatoes. Heat the rest of the gravy and pour it on the pie when it's ready to serve.
- — Cover the top of the potatoes with some flavored bread crumbs and shredded cheese.
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